Patent ID: 8065715

Claim:
A method comprising: generating, by an authentication code generator, an authentication code for a user at a data service, the data service communicatively coupled to a wireless device over a wireless network and to a client data processing device over a data network, the authentication code generator configured to periodically generate authentication codes when a number of client data processing devices connected to the data service is low and to dynamically generate the authentication codes in response to the user logging on to the data service when the number of client data processing devices connected to the data service is high, wherein a frequency with which the authentication codes are periodically generated is based at least in part on the number of client data processing devices connected to the data service; transmitting the authentication code to the wireless device when the authentication code is generated at the data service; receiving a request from the user to connect to the data service through the client data processing device over the data network; requesting a new authentication code from the user over the data network, the new authentication code comprising the authentication code most recently transmitted to the wireless device; receiving a user-entered authentication code from the client data processing device over the data network; comparing the new authentication code with the user-entered authentication code; allowing access to resources on the service if the user-entered authentication code matches the new authentication code; and denying access to resources on the service if the user-entered authentication code does not match the new authentication code.