Patent ID: 6851054

Claim:
A method of providing access to an entity requesting access to a controlled resource, the requesting entity communicating electronically over a communications medium with an access authentication component for the controlled resource, comprising the steps of: (a) providing the requesting entity with a security account maintained in a database accessible by the access authentication component, the security account having information that is retrievable based on a unique identifier of the requesting entity, the information pertaining to the requesting entity's right to access the controlled resource; (b) associating a public key of a public-private key pair with the security account such that the public key is retrievable based on the unique identifier of the requesting entity, wherein the private key of the public-private key pair is not accessible by the access authentication component; and (c) thereafter, (i) receiving the unique identifier of the requesting entity; (ii) receiving a message and a digital signature of the message, the message comprising a request by the requesting entity for access to the controlled resource; (iii) obtaining the public key associated with the unique identifier received; (iv) decrypting the digital signature of the message using the public key to verify that the digital signature was generated using the private key of the requesting entity; and (v) granting the requesting entity with access to the controlled resource in response to the request if the digital signature successfully verifies and as a function of the information pertaining to the requesting entity's right to access the controlled resource.