Information processing apparatus that distributes settings compliant with security policy and control method therefor, image processing apparatus and control method therefor, information processing system and control method therefor, and storage medium

• US 10,027,713 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2014
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Shota, Tsuchitoi, Naoki, Yasukawa, Akari
• Primary Examiner(s): Okeke, Izunna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zarrineh, Shahriar
• Application Number:
  US14/471,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20150067767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0254 Stateful filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

An information processing apparatus that makes it possible to save time and effort expended by an administrator on distribution of settings compliant with a security policy. Whether or not an application installed in the image processing apparatus to which setting values compliant with a security policy are to be distributed can be set to the settings is determined. When it is determined that the application cannot be set to the settings, whether or not the application can be set to the settings by updating thereof is determined. When the determination result indicates that the settings can be set by updating the application, the application is updated, and the settings are distributed to the image processing apparatus.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to execute instructions that, when executed, cause the information processing apparatus to;

receive new settings for at least one image processing apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus, the new settings compliant with a security policy for distribution to the at least one image processing apparatus, the security policy relating to strength of a password to be input to an application installed in the at least one image processing apparatus;

receive, from the at least one image processing apparatus, application information including an application name of one or more applications installed in the at least one image processing apparatus, a version information of the one or more applications installed in the at least one image processing apparatus, and information indicating one or more security policy items supported by the one or more applications;

detect, among the one or more applications installed in the at least one image processing apparatus, based on the received application information, the version information, and the information indicating the one or more security policy items, a first application which does not support the new settings compliant with the security policy;

acquire information indicating that an updated version of the first application, which supports the new settings compliant with the security policy, is not stored in the at least one memory;

display a confirmation screen, prior to distributing the security policy to the at least one image processing apparatus, warning that the first application does not support the security policy and will be stopped in response to distributing the new settings compliant with the security policy;

stop the first application in response to receiving a confirmation to stop the first application; and

distribute the new settings compliant with the security policy to the at least one image processing apparatus after receiving the confirmation to stop the first application.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first application is detected based on application information including at least one of an application name and a version of the application installed in the image processing apparatus, and information indicating security policy items with which the application can comply.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of an application name of the detected first application, a version information of the detected first application, and information indicating the security policy to be distributed to the image processing apparatus, is transmitted to a server to thereby acquire from the server the information indicating whether or not the detected first application can be updated to the second application.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the security policy defines strength of authentication information in the information processing apparatus,

wherein the first application is a login application, and

wherein the warning screen is displayed in a case where the login application uses authentication information whose strength is weaker than the strength of the authentication information defined in the security policy.

4. An image processing apparatus to which new settings compliant with a security policy are distributed from an information processing apparatus, comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to execute instructions that, when executed, cause the image processing apparatus to;

provide, to the information processing apparatus, application information including an application name of an application installed in the image processing apparatus, a version information of the application installed in the image processing apparatus, and information indicating one or more security policy items supported by the application;

determine, based on the provided application information, the version information, and the information indicating the one or more security policy items, that the application installed in the image processing apparatus does not support the new settings compliant with the security policy to be distributed to the image processing apparatus, wherein the security policy relates to strength of a password to be input to the application;

determine that the application cannot be updated to a version that supports the new settings compliant with the security policy;

display a confirmation screen on a display of the information processing apparatus, the confirmation screen being a screen to provide notification and receive confirmation, prior to distributing the security policy to the image processing apparatus, that the application does not support the new settings compliant with the security policy and will be stopped in response to distribution of the security policy;

receive a confirmation to stop the application that does not support the new settings compliant with the security policy;

distribute the new settings to the image processing apparatus; and

stop, when the new settings compliant with the security policy are distributed, the application that does not support the distributed settings.

5. An information processing system including:

an information processing apparatus including at least one first memory and at least one first processor coupled to the at least one first memory; and

an image processing apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus, the image processing apparatus including at least one second memory and at least one second processor coupled to the at least one second memory, the at least one first processor and the at least one second processor configured to execute instructions that, when executed, cause the information processing apparatus or the image processing apparatus to;

receive new settings compliant with a security policy for distribution to the image processing apparatus, wherein the security policy relates to strength of a password to be input to an application installed in image processing apparatus;

acquire application information including an application name of one or more applications installed in the image processing apparatus, a version information of the one or more applications installed in the image processing apparatus, and information indicating one or more security policy items supported by the one or more applications;

detect, among the one or more applications installed in the image processing apparatus, based on the acquired application information, the version information, and the information indicating the one or more security policy items, a first application which does not support the new settings compliant with the security policy;

acquire information indicating that an updated version of the first application, which supports the new settings compliant with the security policy, is not stored in the at least one first memory;

display a confirmation screen, prior to distributing the security policy to the at least one image processing apparatus, warning that the first application does not support the security policy and will be stopped in response to distributing the new settings compliant with the security policy;

stop the first application in response to receiving a confirmation to stop the first application; and

distribute the new settings compliant with the security policy to the image processing apparatus after receiving the confirmation to stop the first application.

6. A method of distributing new settings compliant with a security policy, the method comprising:

receiving new settings for at least one image processing apparatus connected to an information processing apparatus, the new settings compliant with a security policy for distribution to the at least one image processing apparatus, the security policy relating to strength of a password to be input to an application installed in the at least one image processing apparatus;

acquiring application information including an application name of one or more applications installed in the at least one image processing apparatus, a version information of the one or more applications installed in the at least one image processing apparatus, and information indicating one or more security policy items supported by the one or more applications;

detecting, among the one or more applications installed in the at least one image processing apparatus, based on the acquired application information, the version information, and the information indicating the one or more security policy items, a first application which does not support the new settings compliant with the security policy;

acquiring information indicating that the first application cannot be updated to an updated version of the first application which supports the new settings compliant with the security policy;

causing a confirmation screen to be displayed, prior to distributing the security policy to the at least one image processing apparatus, warning that the first application does not support the security policy and will be stopped in response to distributing the new settings compliant with the security policy;

stopping the first application in response to receiving a confirmation to stop the first application; and

distributing the new settings compliant with the security policy to the at least one image processing apparatus after receiving the confirmation to stop the first application.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said detecting includes detecting the first application based on application information including at least one of an application name and a version of the application installed in the at least one image processing apparatus, and information indicating security policy items with which the application can comply.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein said acquiring includes transmitting at least one of an application name of the detected first application, a version information of the detected first application, and information indicating the security policy to be distributed to the at least one image processing apparatus, to a server to thereby acquire from the server the information indicating whether or not the detected first application can be updated to the second application.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program for executing a method of distributing new settings compliant with a security policy, the method comprising:

receiving new settings for at least one image processing apparatus connected to an information processing apparatus, the new settings compliant with a security policy for distribution to the at least one image processing apparatus, the security policy relating to strength of a password to be input to an application installed in the at least one image processing apparatus;

acquiring application information including an application name of one or more applications installed in the at least one image processing apparatus, a version information of the one or more applications installed in the at least one image processing apparatus, and information indicating one or more security policy items supported by the one or more applications;

detecting, among the one or more applications installed in the at least one image processing apparatus, based on the acquired application information, the version information, and the information indicating the one or more security policy items, a first application which does not support the new settings compliant with the security policy;

acquiring information indicating that the first application cannot be updated to an updated version of the first application which supports the new settings compliant with the security policy;

causing a confirmation screen to be displayed, prior to distributing the security policy to the at least one image processing apparatus, warning that the first application does not support the security policy and will be stopped in response to distributing the new settings compliant with the security policy;

stopping the first application in response to receiving a confirmation to stop the first application; and

distributing the new settings compliant with the security policy to the at least one image processing apparatus after receiving the confirmation to stop the first application.

11. An information processing apparatus comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor configured to work with the memory and execute instructions that, when executed, cause the information processing apparatus to;

receive an instruction to distribute a security policy for enforcing using a password having a length longer than a predetermined length to at least one image processing apparatus;

acquire application information including an application name of one or more applications installed in the at least one image processing apparatus, a version information of the one or more applications installed in the at least one image processing apparatus, and information indicating a security policy item corresponding to a password length supported by the one or more applications;

detect, among the one or more applications installed in the at least one image processing apparatus, based on the acquired application information, the version information, and the information indicating the security policy item, at least one application which does not support the length longer than the predetermined length of the password;

acquire information indicating that an updated version of the at least one application which does not support the length longer than the predetermined length of the password is not stored in the at least one memory;

display a message screen, including an input portion for inputting whether to distribute the security policy, prior to distributing the security policy to the at least one image processing apparatus, that the at least one application does not support the length longer than the predetermined length of the password and will be stopped in response to distributing the security policy to the at least one image processing apparatus having the at least one application which does not support the length longer than the predetermined length of the password; and

distribute the security policy for enforcing using the password having the length longer than the predetermined length and causing the at least one application to stop in the at least one image processing apparatus after accepting the input via the input portion after displaying the message screen.