Patent ID: 7373515

Claim:
In a system wherein both a PIN of a user authorized to access a network resource and a first key of an asymmetric key pair of the authorized user are maintained in association with a first primary identification by an authentication authority such that each of the PIN and the first key are retrievable based on the first primary identification, a method performed by the authentication authority whereby the authorized user gains access to the network resource from an access authority with a passcode, the method comprising the steps of: (a) receiving the first primary identification and a suspect PIN from a suspect user; (b) authenticating the first primary identification by considering at least one authentication factor, including comparing the suspect PIN with the PIN of the authorized user maintained in association with the first primary identification by the authentication authority; and (c) following a successful authentication of the first primary identification, (i) generating the passcode, (ii) encrypting the passcode using the first key of the asymmetric key pair of the authorized user, and (iii) communicating the encrypted passcode to the suspect user for subsequent decryption and presentation to the access authority.