In a network authentication method, a content-provider server redirects a user terminal to an identity verification server for acquiring therefrom an encrypted web address signed with an asymmetrical private key and downloaded from a downloading unit. The user terminal transmits hardware scan data associated therewith to the identity verification server upon determining, based on the encrypted web address and an asymmetrical public key from the downloading unit, that the identity verification server is currently valid to perform identity verification. The identity verification server verifies the identity of the user terminal based on relationship between the hardware scan data and pre-stored reference hardware scan data.