System and method for authentication of users in a secure computer system

Abstract

A system and method of authenticating a user in a secure computer system in which a client computer transmits to the secure computer system a request for a sign-on page, the computer system transmits to the client computer a prompt for a first user identifier, and in response to the prompt, the client computer transmits to the computer system a request including a first identifier, a second identifier stored in an object stored at the client computer and a plurality of request header attributes. The computer system includes a server software module that authenticates the first user identifier and the second user identifier, and compares the transmitted plurality of request header attributes with a plurality of request header attributes stored at the computer system and associated with the first and second user identifiers. If the first and second user identifiers are authenticated, and if the transmitted request header attributes match stored request header attributes, the server software module transmits a success message to the client computer to be viewed by the user, and the user is allowed to access the secure computer system. In one embodiment, each transmitted request header attribute is given a numerical weighted value and the comparison of request header attributes includes adding the assigned numerical values of matching attributes to arrive at a total value, then transmitting the success message to the client computer only if the total value of matching request header attributes is at least a certain predetermined numerical total.