Patent ID: 7181762

Claim:
A computer program product for a client computing system including a processor includes: code that directs the processor to request a challenge from an authentication server; code that directs the processor to receive the challenge from the authentication server via a secure communications channel, wherein the challenge includes at least a password that is inactive; code that directs the processor to receive user authentication data from a user; code that directs the processor to determine a private key and a digital certificate in response to the user authentication data; code that directs the processor to form a digital signature in response to the password that is inactive from the authentication server and the private key; code that directs the processor to communicate the digital signature to the authentication server, code that directs the processor to communicate the digital certificate to the authentication server, the digital certificate comprising a public key in an encrypted form; and code that directs the processor to communicate network user authentication data and the password that is inactive to the authentication server via a security server, wherein the authentication server activates the password that is inactive when the digital signature is verified, and wherein the codes reside on a tangible media.