Patent ID: 7974956

Claim:
A method for authenticating a user that requests information pertaining to a website, the method comprising the steps of: an entity associated with a web crawler generating a filename and content for the user that is purportedly authorized to modify the website; the entity sending the filename and the content toward the user without sending said information pertaining to the website toward the user, wherein a file with the filename and the content are not stored on a server that hosts the website when the filename and the content are sent toward the user; wherein, after the filename and content are sent toward the user, the user creates a file with the filename, causes the file to be stored on a server that hosts the website, and causes the content to be stored in the file; after sending the filename and content toward the user: determining whether a file with the filename is stored on a server that hosts the website; determining whether the file contains the content; and in response to determining that the file is stored on the server and the file contains the content, the entity storing data that indicates that the user is authorized to receive said information pertaining to the website; wherein said information pertaining to the website is sent toward the user only after it is determined that the file is stored on the server and the file contains the content; wherein the steps of generating, sending, and storing are performed on one or more computing devices.