US Patent 7467401 User authentication without prior user enrollment

Authenticating a user includes providing a plurality of questions based on user related information stored in at least one data source, wherein none of the plurality of questions is password related. At least one of the plurality of questions is presented to the user in response to receiving a request from the user to access one or more protected resources. Access is granted to the authorized set of protected resources if the user correctly answers each of the at least one questions presented. According to the present invention, the user's identity is authenticated without requiring the user to provide a password or biometric data, and without requiring the user to enroll prior to access.