Server, method and program product for management of password policy information

• US 20060259960A1
• Filed: 03/13/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Solutions Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Solutions Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kondo, Wakako
• Application Number:
  US11/373,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20060259960A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/46 by designing passwords or checking the strength of passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0846 using time-dependent-passwords, e.g. periodically changing passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

A password policy information management server 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a password policy information definition storage section 17a storing the password policy information; a password applying policy information definition storage section 17b storing password applying policy information including timing information; password policy information setting unit 15a configured to allow the administrator of the information system to set each password policy information; a password check unit 15e configured to check validity of the password; and an administrator password change unit 15b configured to request validity checking of a new password to the password check unit 15e according to timing defined by the password applying policy information stored in the password applying policy information definition storage section 17b.

Claims

1. A server for management of password policy information in order to check validity of a password of an administrator of an information system and a password of a user using the information system, the server comprising:

a storage including

a password policy information definition storage section storing the password policy information used at the time of one of the administrator and the user of the information system deciding the password, and

a password applying policy information definition storage section storing password applying policy information including timing information, said password being possible to be changed, and said timing information applying the password policy information after the password changed;

a setting unit configured to allow the administrator of the information system to set the password policy information, and to store the password policy information in the password policy information definition storage section, said setting unit further configured to allow the administrator of the information system to set the password applying policy information, and to store the password applying policy information in the password applying policy information definition storage section; and

a password check unit configured to read the password policy information stored in the password policy information definition storage section from the storage, and to check validity of the password using the password policy information.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein

the password policy information includes customizing policy information, and

the setting unit further allows the administrator of the information system to set the customizing policy information independently.

3. The server of claim 1, further comprising

an administrator password change unit configured to request validity checking of a new password to the password check unit according to timing defined by the password applying policy information stored in the password applying policy information definition storage section, and to urge the administrator to change the new password in the case where aforesaid new password is invalid for the password policy information as a result of the check.

4. The server of claim 1, wherein

the password policy information includes at least one of limitation information of the number of characters used for the password, regard information with login ID for logging in the information system, history management information, expiration date information, character limitation information, and customizing policy information.

5. A computer implemented method for management of password policy information in order to check validity of a password of an administrator of an information system and a password of a user using the information system, the computer implemented method comprising:

allowing the administrator of the information system to set the password policy information used at the time of one of the administrator and the user of the information system deciding the password, and storing the password policy information in a password policy information definition storage section included in a storage;

allowing the administrator of the information system to set password applying policy information including timing information and storing the password applying policy information in the password applying policy information definition storage section included in the storage, said password being possible to be changed, and said timing information applying the password policy information after the password changed; and

reading the password policy information stored in the password policy information definition storage section from the storage, and checking validity of the password by a password check unit.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein

the password policy information includes customizing policy information, and

in the storing the password policy information in a password policy information definition storage section, further allowing the administrator of the information system to set the customizing policy information independently.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

requesting validity checking of a new password to the password check unit by an administrator password change unit according to timing defined by the password applying policy information stored in the password applying policy information definition storage section; and

changing the new password by the administrator password change unit in the case where aforesaid new password is invalid for the password policy information as a result of the check.

8. A program product for management of password policy information in order to check validity of a password of an administrator of an information system and a password of a user using the information system, the computer executable program comprising:

allowing the administrator of the information system to set the password policy information used at the time of one of the administrator and the user of the information system deciding the password, and storing the password policy information in a password policy information definition storage section included in a storage;

allowing the administrator of the information system to set password applying policy information including timing information and storing the password applying policy information in the password applying policy information definition storage section included in the storage, said password being possible to be changed, and said timing information applying the password policy information after the password changed; and

reading the password policy information stored in the password policy information definition storage section from the storage, and checking validity of the password by a password check unit.

9. The program product of claim 8, the computer executable program wherein

the password policy information includes customizing policy information, and

further allowing the administrator of the information system to set the customizing policy information independently.

10. The program product of claim 8, the computer executable program further comprising:

requesting validity checking of a new password to the password check unit by an administrator password change unit according to timing defined by the password applying policy information stored in the password applying policy information definition storage section; and

changing the new password by the administrator password change unit in the case where aforesaid new password is invalid for the password policy information as a result of the check.