Patent ID: 6895502

Claim:
A method for a client user remotely connected to a host computer by a client workstation to have securely displayed and to securely confirm that a request to perform an operation on the host computer was actually requested by the client user, the method comprising the steps of: (1) in response to the request, generating a challenge that includes what operation to be performed on the host computer was requested, a nonce, and a query as to whether the client user made the request; (2) encrypting the challenge; (3) transmitting the encrypted challenge to a secure environment that contains the client user's private key; (4) decrypting the challenge in the secure environment and securely displaying the decrypted challenge; (5) waiting for confirmation from the client user that securely confirms either that the client user did or did not make the request to perform the operation on the host computer; (6) if the client user confirms that: (a) the client user did not make the request, transmitting a reply encrypted with the host computer's public key to the host computer that contains a negative response and the nonce; or (b) client user did make the request, transmitting a reply encrypted with the host computer's public key to the host computer that contains a positive response and the nonce.