Patent ID: 8452963

Claim:
A computer-implemented process, comprising: receiving, at a first computer of a plurality of computers, from a master key server, a base cryptographic seed and base cryptographic seed parameters through a secure network connection to the master key server; wherein the base cryptographic seed and the base cryptographic seed parameters are not specific to any of the plurality of computers; wherein the master key server generates the base cryptographic seed and the base cryptographic seed parameters and distributes the base cryptographic seed and the base cryptographic seed parameters to two or more computers from the plurality of computers, including the first computer, for each of the plurality of computers to generate its own unique master key; generating, at the first computer, one or more protected access credential parameters; combining said base cryptographic seed with at least a portion of said generated protected access credential parameters using a hashed message authentication code function to generate a master key from a plurality of master keys; encrypting at least a portion of said generated protected access credential parameters using at least a portion of said generated master key; incorporating said encrypted protected access credential parameters and at least a portion of said generated protected access credential parameters into a protected access credential; wherein the process is performed by one or more computing devices.