DISTRIBUTED AUTHENTICATION WITH DATA CLOUD

A method includes, in response to a need to access for a user certain stored data that requires authentication, sending a request for the stored data into a data cloud, the request not identifying the user. The method further includes receiving, from the data cloud, response information descriptive of an authentication realm and a single-use nonce; presenting the information descriptive of the authentication realm to the user and prompting the user for a user name and password; re-sending the request into the data cloud with an authentication header having user credentials generated at least in part using the response information, the user credentials comprising the user name and a hashed password; and if the user credentials are valid, receiving from the data cloud the requested stored data.