Patent ID: 7979912

Claim:
A method comprising: at a network intermediary in a communication path between a client device and a content server, (i) receiving from the client device a request directed to the content server, wherein the request includes a device identifier and a password, (ii) responsively looking up a user identifier associated with the device identifier, (iii) modifying the request to include the user identifier, and (iv) sending the modified request along to the content server; at the content server, receiving the modified request and making a determination of whether a combination of the device identifier and the user identifier exists within a dataset of known device identifier and user identifier combinations; if the determination is that the combination exists within the dataset of known combinations, then, in response to the modified request, validating the request by reference to the password; and if the determination is that the combination does not exist within the dataset of known combinations, then (i) adding the combination to the dataset of known combinations, (ii) sending to the client device a prompt for a user of the client device to enter a new password for use in validating the modified request, and (iii) identifying in the dataset at least one pre-existing combination that contains the device identifier, and deleting the at least one identified combination from the dataset.