System for protecting a user's password

A computer-readable medium containing program instructions for providing a protectable password comprising instructions for:

• creating a random pattern in response to receiving a request from a user to access a protected resource in a computing system, wherein the random pattern is associated with the request;
• displaying the random pattern associated with the request to a user;
• allowing the user to enter an apparent password into the computing system that controls access to the protected resource, wherein the apparent password is a string of characters and keystrokes including the password, the random pattern and an arbitrary number of characters and keystrokes unrelated to the protectable password;
• entering the protectable password in any position within the string of characters and keystrokes of the apparent password;
• analyzing the entered apparent password by the computing system to determine a presence or absence of the protectable password and the random pattern associated with the request;
• and
• validating the apparent password if the protectable password and the random pattern are determined to be present in any position in the string of characters and keystrokes of the apparent password.

A system for providing a protectable password comprising:

• a storage device for storing data including the password;
• an input mechanism for entering the protectable password in any position within the string of characters and keystrokes of the apparent password and analyzing the entered apparent password by the computing system to determine a presence or absence of the protectable password and the random pattern associated with the request;
• and
• a password validation engine coupled to the storage device and to the input mechanism for analyzing the string of characters and keystrokes to find the protectable password and for validating the apparent password if the protectable password and the random pattern are determined to be present in any position in the string of characters and keystrokes of the apparent password.