An authenticated and metered flow control method provides a network interface with the capability to determine the authenticity of programs used to generate and send data packets, thereby ensuring that users who send data packets are well behaved. The method is based on using a hidden program that was obfuscated into the program used for generating and sending data packets. More specifically, the hidden program generates a pseudo random sequence of security signals that are included in the sequence of data packets that are sent from the user to the network interface. Only the network interface knows how the pseudo random sequence of security signals was generated, and therefore, the network interface is able to check the validity of the pseudo random sequence of security signals, and thereby verify the authenticity of the programs used to generate and send data packets.