Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program therefor

• US 20050273616A1
• Filed: 05/27/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nishio, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,375,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a storage unit that stores security processing information describing a security processing procedure that is to be executed on data handled by a service providing program and including data written in a structured language; and a security processing unit that executes security processing to encrypt or sign the data handled by the service providing program, with reference to the security processing information stored in the storage unit, so that the service providing program can communicate securely with an external service providing program.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store security processing information describing a security processing procedure that is to be applied to data handled by a service providing program and including data written in a structured language; and

wherein the security processing information can be read from or written to another program or a user in the storage unit; and

a security processing unit configured to execute security processing to encrypt or give a digital signature to the data handled by the service providing program with reference to the security processing information stored in the storage unit, wherein the security processing unit provides secure communications of the security processing information with an external program.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the security processing unit comprises a modifying unit configured to modify a part of the data based on processed data when the processed data is generated by executing security processing on the part of the data.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a communications unit configured to communicate with another apparatus via a network; and

a transmission control unit configured to control transmission of the data obtained through the security processing executed by the security processing unit or the data obtained through the modification executed by the modifying unit to the another apparatus via the network.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the modifying unit, in addition to modifying the part of the data based on the processed data, adds information for decrypting the processed data and information for verifying the processed data to the data.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the modifying unit comprises a parsing unit configured to parse the data to determine whether the data conforms to the Simple Object Access Protocol, wherein the modifying unit writes the processed data in a body defined by the Simple Object Access Protocol and writes the information for decrypting the processed data and the information for verifying the processed data in a header defined by the Simple Object Access Protocol when the parsing unit determines that the data conforms to the Simple Object Access Protocol.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the security processing information stored in the storage unit is information that is capable of being registered, updated, and deleted from outside via a network.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the security processing unit is configured to determine whether to execute the security processing according to whether the security processing information associated with the data is stored in the storage unit.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the security processing unit comprises a determination unit configured to determine whether content of the security processing information is in accordance with content of the data, and the security processing unit determines whether to execute the security processing according to the determination by the determination unit.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the security processing information is written in a structured language.

10. An information processing method that is executed using an information processing apparatus with a service providing program, the information processing method comprising:

a security processing step of applying security processing to encrypt or give a digital signature to data handled by the service providing program and including data written in a structured language, with reference to security processing information describing a security processing procedure associated with the data so that the service providing program can communicate securely with an external service providing program and wherein the security processing information can be read from or written to a storage unit by another program or a user.

11. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein the security processing step comprises a modifying step of modifying a part of the data based on processed data when the processed data is generated by executing security processing on the part of the data.

12. The information processing method according to claim 11, further comprising a transmission controlling step of controlling transmission of the data obtained through the security processing executed in the security processing step or the data obtained through the modification executed in the modifying step to another apparatus via a network.

13. The information processing method according to claim 11, wherein the modifying step, in addition to modifying the part of the data based on the processed data, adds information for decrypting the processed data and information for verifying the processed data to the data.

14. The information processing method according to claim 13, wherein the modifying step comprises:

a parsing step of parsing the data to determine whether the data conforms to the Simple Object Access Protocol; and

a processing step of writing the processed data in a body defined by the Simple Object Access Protocol and writing the information for decrypting the processed data and the information for verifying the processed data in a header defined by the Simple Object Access Protocol when the parsing step determines that the data conforms to the Simple Object Access Protocol.

15. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein the security processing information is stored in a storage unit in the information processing apparatus, and the security processing information is information that can be registered, updated, and deleted from outside via a network.

16. The information processing method according to claim 15, wherein the security processing step comprises a determining step of determining whether to execute the security processing according to whether the security processing information associated with the data is stored in the storage unit.

17. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein the security processing step comprises:

a first determining step of determining whether content of the security processing information is in accordance with content of the data; and

a second determining step of determining whether to execute the security processing according to the determination in the first determining step.

18. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein the security processing information is written in a structured language.

19. A program for allowing a computer to execute the information processing method according to claim 10.