US Patent 8151344 Method and apparatus to authenticate a user

One embodiment provides a system that uses an authenticated channel to authenticate a user. The system can register a user by storing an association between a username, a password, and a unique identifier. The system can then present a login screen to the user which includes a username field and a password field, wherein the username field is enabled and the password field is disabled. Next, the system can receive the username via the username field and receive the unique identifier over the authenticated channel. The system can then enable the password field in response to determining that the unique identifier is associated with the username. Next, the system can receive the password via the enabled password field. The system can then authenticate the user in response to determining that the password is associated with the username.