Abstract: In a secure electronic payment system, authentication data based on a payment account (e.g., a credit card account) is sent from an authentication server, through a user's Web browser, to a merchant's computer. The merchant's computer sends the authentication data to a computer operated by the issuer of the payment account, either through a payment organization computer or through an acquirer computer operated by the merchant's acquirer. The issuer's computer verifies the authorization request message, thereby generating an authorization response message. The authorization response message is forwarded to the merchant's computer, either through the payment organization computer or through the acquirer computer. If the authorization response message indicates that the verification was successful, the transaction is completed.

Abstract: A formatted data structure is provided for conveying the results of ecommerce authentication programs that are used to authenticate a cardholder's on-line transactions. The data structure, which has at most a 20-byte length, is designed to be compatible with 3-D Secure message protocols used in e-commerce. The data structure includes designated fields that include a hash of the merchant's name, identify an authentication service provider, identify the authentication method used, and include a merchant authentication code which ties cardholder information to the transaction. Secure payment algorithms are provided for use by the e-commerce authentication programs to generate authentication results in the desired format. In one secure payment algorithm, a secret key is used to encrypt a concatenation of a cardholder account number with information from designated fields of the data structure.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, when an appropriate transaction message is received by a payment gateway, instead of requesting an authorization of the transaction through the payment network, the payment gateway instead sends an authorization response back to the message originator. The payment gateway may perform authentication functions and send transaction data back to the message originator. In this way, the payment gateway may be used for authentication functions while the message originator may use its existing payment system protocols to conduct authorization functions.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, when an appropriate transaction message is received by a payment gateway, instead of requesting an authorization of the transaction through the payment network, the payment gateway instead sends an authorization response back to the message originator. The payment gateway may perform authentication functions and send transaction data back to the message originator. In this way, the payment gateway may be used for authentication functions while the message originator may use its existing payment system protocols to conduct authorization functions.

Abstract: A method is provided for conducting a financial transaction by a consumer over a communication network and involving a payment network having an issuer for authorizing the transaction based on standard authorization criteria including transaction data and based on a positive authentication of the consumer. The method comprises: utilizing one of a plurality of authentication mechanisms for providing the consumer cardholder authentication data; utilizing a universal cardholder authentication field for transmitting to a merchant the cardholder authentication data regardless of the authentication mechanism utilized; generating an authorization request including the cardholder authentication data and forwarding that request over the payment network for verification by the issuer.