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        RFC 2069: 

        Title:      An Extension to HTTP : Digest Access
                    Authentication
        Author:     J. Franks, P. Hallam-Baker, J. Hostetler,
                    P. Leach, A. Luotonen, E. Sink, L. Stewart
        Date:       January 1997
        Mailbox:    john@math.nwu.edu, hallam@w3.org,
                    jeff@spyglass.com, paulle@microsoft.com,
                    luotonen@netscape.com, eric@spyglass.com,
                    stewart@OpenMarket.com
        Pages:      18
        Characters: 41733
        Updates/Obsoletes:  None

        URL:        ftp://ds.internic.net/rfc/rfc2069.txt

The protocol referred to as "HTTP/1.0" includes the specification for
a Basic Access Authentication scheme.  This scheme is not considered
to be a secure method of user authentication, as the user name and
password are passed over the network as clear text.  A specification
for a different authentication scheme is needed to address this severe
limitation.  This document provides specification for such a scheme,
referred to as "Digest Access Authentication". This document is a
product of the HyperText Transfer Protocol Working Group of the IETF.

This is now a Proposed Standard Protocol.

This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state and
status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

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Joyce K. Reynolds and Mary Kennedy
USC/Information Sciences Institute