Patent ID: 8701184

Claim:
An authentication apparatus comprising: a host terminal; and an authentication server that is connected to the host terminal through an electric communication line; the host terminal comprising: an entry section through which a first entered password is entered; and a storage section that stores the first entered password that is entered through the entry section; the authentication server comprising: a database section that stores a stored password; and an authentication section that authenticates whether the password stored in the database section and the first entered password match with each other; and when the authentication section determines that first entered password and the stored password do not match, the entry section enables a second entered password to be entered and the storage section stores the second entered password that is entered through the entry section; the host terminal further comprising: a determining section that determines whether the second entered password and the first entered password match with each other, and wherein the authentication section does not perform the authentication processing to the second entered password when the determining section determines that the second entered password and the first entered password match with each other, and authenticates whether the second entered password and the stored password match with each other when the determining section determines that the second entered password and the first entered password do not match with each other.