Patent ID: 7886339

Claim:
A computer implemented method for authenticating a user to a network, the computer implemented method comprising: authenticating by an authentication server a computing device used by the user that is connected to the network through an access point based on received login information; assigning by the authentication server a unique Internet protocol address to the authenticated computing device that uniquely identifies the authenticated computing device; responsive to receiving by a protected resource protected by a resource protection point device that is separate from the authentication server a request from the user to access the protected resource, identifying by the protected resource protected by the resource protection point device that is separate from the authentication server an Internet protocol address for a network connection utilized by the user to connect to the network; sending by the protected resource protected by the resource protection point device that is separate from the authentication server via the network a unique bit sequence having a random sequence of bits with a bit length equal to a length of a maximum transmission unit for a connection stream into the network connection utilized by the user; confirming by the access point that the network connection utilized by the user to connect to the network is originating from the assigned Internet protocol address associated with the authenticated computing device based on a determination by the access point that the unique bit sequence having the random sequence of bits with the bit length equal to the length of the maximum transmission unit for the connection stream was detected heading toward the authenticated computing device associated with the assigned Internet protocol address utilized by the user; and responsive to receiving by the authentication server a verification from the access point that the unique bit sequence having the random sequence of bits with the bit length equal to the length of the maximum transmission unit for the connection stream sent from the protected resource protected by the resource protection point device that is separate from the authentication server via the network was received by the access point for the authenticated computing device associated with the assigned Internet protocol address used by the user when the user logged on to the network, authenticating by the authentication server the user to access the protected resource protected by the resource protection point device that is separate from the authentication server.