Patent ID: 8490168

Claim:
A computer program product that is configured to authenticate users within a multiple website environment, comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having encoded thereon instructions that, when executed on a processor, cause the processor at least to perform the following: authenticate a user at a first website via a first interface; generate a common token representative of the user in response to successful authentication of the user for the first website, wherein the common token includes usage limitations specified directly by the user that place restrictions on how the common token can be used, wherein the user specified limitations include a list of permitted tasks the user is authorized to perform on the first website and on a plurality of websites different from the first website, wherein the user specified limitations include a list of company websites the user is authorized to access, and wherein the common token can be invalidated upon violation of any of the user specified limitations; insert the common token into a second website operating without a common trust to the first website; verify that the inserted common token is valid via a second interface; and allow a task to be performed on the second website on behalf of the user via a third interface in response to verifying that the common token is valid.