Patent ID: 8353017

Claim:
A method for protecting a password assigned to a user for access to a computer network the password comprising a set of characters, said method comprising: providing a password entry screen on a computer display having a virtual keyboard, said virtual keyboard including a plurality of character keys arranged in a non-QWERTY format using a CAPTCHA system; generating a different random array of said character keys with at least one null key on said virtual keyboard each time any user accesses said password entry screen; prompting the user for entry of a sub-set of characters in the password, such that un-requested characters are not displayed to the user, wherein the sub-set of characters is randomly selected from among the characters in the password; authenticating the user if a password submitted by the user accessing said password entry screen matches a user password retrieved from a password database; and denying access to the user if said submitted password does not match said retrieved user password.