A user authentication information management method receives a
meta-password from a user. A repository (34) lists network addresses (36)
and associated handles (38), each handle having an associated encoded
password. An authentication response from the user is intercepted. A
modified authentication response is generated by identifying a network
address to which the response is directed (208), searching for the
identified network address (210) in the repository (34), identifying a
handle (212) corresponding to the address based on the searching (210),
decoding the password associated with the handle using the meta-password
as a decoding key (214), and substituting the decoded password for the
meta-password in the authentication response (216). The method also
generates pseudo-random passwords (124) consistent with password rules
(128). The repository (34) can reside on a client device (14), a proxy
server, a local area network, or a security server having an Internet
protocol (IP) address. The repository (34) can also be disposed at a
database service.