Method and apparatus for authentication of users and web sites

A method of authenticating at least a portion of a web site, comprising:

• providing to the web site a request for at least one web page and an encrypted cookie;
• receiving a web page and customization information;
• and
• authenticating the at least the portion of the web site responsive to the customization information received.

A system for providing a web page, comprising:

• a registration manager for associating in a database coupled to a database output customization information with a user identifier and for providing the user identifier at an output;
• a cookie builder having an input coupled to the registration manager output, the cookie builder for providing the user identifier in a cookie at an output;
• a cookie encryptor having an input coupled to the cookie builder output, the cookie encryptor for encrypting the cookie and providing the encrypted cookie at an output;
• a cookie storage having an input/output coupled to the cookie encryptor output, the cookie storage for storing the cookie on a computer system operated by the user;
• a web application having an input coupled for receiving a request for a web page, the web application for, responsive to the request for the web page, for reading the cookie stored via the web application input, for providing at least a portion of the web page at a first output, and providing at a second output the user identifier from the cookie read;
• and
• a customization information provider having an input coupled to the web application second output for receiving the user identifier, the customization information provider for retrieving at least a portion of the customization information from the database via an input/output coupled thereto, the customization information provider for providing at an output the customization information via at least one selected from:
• a) a secure connection and;
• b) a communication channel different from that used to provide the web page.

A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for providing a web page, the computer program product comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to:

• associate customization information with a user identifier;
• provide the user identifier in a cookie;
• encrypt the cookie;
• store the cookie on a computer system operated by the user;
• responsive to a request for the web page, read the cookie stored;
• provide the web page requested;
• and
• responsive to the cookie read, provide the customization information via at least one selected from:
• a) a secure connection and;
• b) a communication channel different from that used to provide the web page.