Patent ID: 7542468

Claim:
A method performed by a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) security agent executed on a DHCP server to authenticate a user of a client device prior to providing access to a communication network, the method comprising: receiving a request from the client device for an IP address, the request including a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the client device; determining whether the MAC address is known to the DHCP server; responsive to the MAC address not being known to the DHCP server, leasing to the client device, a fictitious IP address of the client device, a fictitious IP address of the DHCP server, and a fictitious IP address of the DHCP server as an address of a DNS servers wherein the fictitious IP address of the client device, the fictitious IP address of the DHCP server and the fictitious IP address of the DHCP server as an address of the DNS server identify the devices on a fictitious network, and wherein the fictitious IP address of the client device allows the device to route its requests only within the fictitious network; receiving a web request from the user of the client device at the DHCP server identified by the fictitious IP address of the DHCP server; providing an authentication page to the user; prompting the user to provide user authentication information; and responsive to authenticating the user, allowing the user to access the communication network.