Patent ID: 8359474

Claim:
A secure passcode authentication system, the system comprising: an Access Control Server (ACS) configured to receive a request for passcode authentication of a Primary Account Number (PAN) directly from a merchant server, and configured to request a passcode corresponding to the PAN from a cardholder device, the request including a destination address for the passcode; a front end Host Security Module (HSM) having said destination address, coupled to the ACS, and configured to receive the passcode from the cardholder device and generate an encrypted passcode using a local encryption key, and configured to return the encrypted passcode to the cardholder device with an instruction to provide the encrypted passcode to the ACS; and a back end HSM coupled to the ACS, configured to receive the encrypted passcode from the ACS and further configured to recover a clear form of the passcode, generate a back end encrypted passcode, and communicate the back end encrypted passcode to the ACS.