Pronunciation: [ˌɛntˌiːˌɛlˈɛm] (IPA) 
The acronym "NTLM" stands for "NT LAN Manager", a Microsoft security protocol. The spelling of this word is straightforward, with each letter representing its respective phoneme: /ɛn ti ɛl ɛm/. The "N" and "T" at the beginning of the word are pronounced separately, with the first syllable stressed. The "L" and "M" are also pronounced distinctly. Overall, the IPA transcription accurately represents the phonetics of the word "NTLM".
NTLM (NT LAN Manager) is a proprietary authentication protocol developed by Microsoft that is used to authenticate remote users accessing network resources in Windows-based environments. It is the successor to the outdated and less secure LAN Manager authentication.
NTLM is primarily used in client-server scenarios, where a client attempts to establish a connection to a server. The protocol functions by challenging clients with a series of authentication requests and responses to verify the client's identity. This process involves the exchange of a hashed password, known as an NT hash, between the client and server.
The NTLM protocol supports both an encrypted and non-encrypted version. In the encrypted version, the client and server negotiate a shared session key, which is used to encrypt subsequent communication. This adds an extra layer of security to prevent eavesdropping or unauthorized access to client-server communications.
However, NTLM has been criticized for its overall security weaknesses, including susceptibility to various types of attacks, such as brute force and pass-the-hash attacks. As a result, Microsoft has introduced more secure authentication protocols, such as Kerberos, within their Active Directory infrastructure. Despite these advancements, NTLM remains in use in some legacy systems and older versions of Windows that do not support newer protocols.
Overall, NTLM is an authentication protocol developed by Microsoft that provides a mechanism for verifying the identities of clients accessing network resources in Windows environments, although it is considered less secure compared to newer authentication protocols like Kerberos.
