Image forming apparatus, method of controlling the same, and storage medium storing program

• US 9,930,068 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2015
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Shota
• Primary Examiner(s): Poltorak, Peter
• Application Number:
  US14/638,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20150264088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

An image forming apparatus and a method of controlling the same, when it is instructed that the security policy be enabled, changes a setting item corresponding to the security policy so that the security policy is satisfied, and sets so that a setting value of the setting item cannot be changed, and when it is instructed that the security policy be disabled, controls so that a setting value of the setting item is changed under a condition that a security policy associated with the setting item corresponding to the security policy is disabled.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a memory device that stores a set of instructions; and

at least one hardware processor that executes the instructions to;

instruct that an encryption security policy be enabled, wherein the encryption security policy is comprised of a policy of a procedure of an encryption of a communication;

instruct that an authentication security policy be enabled, wherein the authentication security policy is comprised of a policy of a procedure of an authentication, and wherein both of the encryption security policy and the authentication security policy give a restriction to a setting value of access control information in a control program for controlling the image forming apparatus, and wherein the access control information is common to the encryption security policy and the authentication security policy;

set, in a case where it is instructed that the encryption security policy be enabled, the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus so that the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus is harmonized with the encryption security policy;

restrict, after harmonizing the setting value of the access control information with the encryption security policy, a user from changing the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus; and

permit, in accordance with disablement of the encryption security policy, the user to change the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus in a case where any of conditions of the setting value of the access control information is not related to the authentication security policy which is in an enabled state,

wherein, even if the encryption security policy is disabled, the at least one hardware processor restricts the user from changing the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus in a case where at least one of conditions of the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus is related to the authentication security policy which is in the enabled state.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one hardware processor further executes instructions in the memory to:

store, in a storage unit, a conversion rule for changing the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus, and

change the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus in accordance with the conversion rule which is stored in the storage unit.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one hardware processor further executes instructions in the memory to:

receive an instruction that instructs an enablement of a parameter of the encryption security policy from an external device; and

enable the parameter of the encryption security policy based on the received instruction.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one hardware processor further executes instructions in the memory to:

store, in a storage unit, a user setting including the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus;

convert a security policy, which is a setting that does not depend on a device model, into the user setting in accordance with a conversion rule; and

reflect in the image forming apparatus the user setting into which the security policy is converted.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the access control information comprises a numeric value that is incremented when a setting of a security policy that is associated is enabled, and that is decremented when the setting of the security policy that is associated is disabled, and does not permit the setting value to be changed if the numeric value is larger than zero.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the numeric value indicates a number of enabled security policies associated with the access control information.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the at least one hardware processor further executes instructions in the memory to:

notify a user of the access control information which is restricted to change, even if the encryption security policy is disabled, in a case where the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus is associated with the authentication security policy which is in the enabled state.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the security policy is received from an external apparatus.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the encryption security policy defines a communication policy in which SSL is to be used for Webdav communication and the authentication security policy defines a communication policy for a communication in which a predetermined access control is to be used in FTP printing, and wherein

the at least one hardware processor executes the instructions to:

set, in a case where it is instructed that the encryption security policy be enabled, the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus so that the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus is harmonized with the encryption security policy;

restrict, after harmonizing the setting value of the access control information with the encryption security policy, a user from changing the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus; and

permit, in accordance with disablement of the encryption security policy, the user to change the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus in a case where any of conditions of the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus is not related to the authentication security policy which is in an enabled state,

wherein, even if the encryption security policy is disabled, the at least one hardware processor restricts the user from changing the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus in a case where at least one of conditions of the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus is related to the authentication security policy which is in the enabled state.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the encryption security policy defines a policy in which a signature is to be verified in using a Webdav server function and the authentication security policy defines a policy in which a plain text authentication is to be prohibited in using a server function, and

wherein both of the encryption security policy and the authentication security policy give a restriction to a setting value of access control information in which SSL is to be used in a Webdav server function in the control program of the image forming apparatus, and wherein

the at least one hardware processor executes the instructions to:

set, in a case where it is instructed that the encryption security policy be enabled, the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus so that the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus is harmonized with the encryption security policy;

restrict, after harmonizing the setting value of the access control information with the encryption security policy, a user from changing the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus by enabling access control information regarding the access control information; and

permit, in accordance with disablement of the encryption security policy, the user to change the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus in a case where any of conditions of the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus is not related to the authentication security policy which is in an enabled state, by disabling the access control information,

wherein, even if the encryption security policy is disabled, the at least one hardware processor restricts the user from changing the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus in a case where at least one of conditions of the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus is related to the authentication security policy which is in the enabled state, by enabling the access control information.

11. An information processing method in an image forming apparatus, the information processing method comprising:

instructing that an encryption security policy be enabled, wherein the encryption security policy is comprised of a policy of a procedure of an encryption of a communication;

instructing that an authentication security policy be enabled, wherein the authentication security policy is comprised of a policy of a procedure of an authentication, and wherein both of the encryption security policy and the authentication security policy give a restriction to a setting value of access control information in a control program for controlling the image forming apparatus, and wherein the access control information is common to the encryption security policy and the authentication security policy;

setting, in a case where it is instructed that the encryption security policy be enabled, the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus so that the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus is harmonized with the encryption security policy;

restricting, after harmonizing the setting value of the access control information with the encryption security policy, a user from changing the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus; and

permitting, in accordance with disablement of the encryption security policy, the user to change the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus in a case where any of conditions of the setting value of the access control information is not related to the authentication security policy which is in an enabled state,

wherein, even if the encryption security policy is disabled, the user is restricted from changing the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus in a case where at least one of conditions of the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus is related to the authentication security policy which is in the enabled state.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing an image forming apparatus to execute to:

instruct that an encryption security policy be enabled, wherein the encryption security policy is comprised of a policy of a procedure of an encryption of a communication;

instruct that an authentication security policy be enabled, wherein the authentication security policy is comprised of a policy of a procedure of an authentication, and wherein both of the encryption security policy and the authentication security policy give a restriction to a setting value of access control information in a control program for controlling the image forming apparatus, and wherein the access control information is common to the encryption security policy and the authentication security policy;

set, in a case where it is instructed that the encryption security policy be enabled, the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus so that the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus is harmonized with the encryption security policy;

restrict, after harmonizing the setting value of the access control information with the encryption security policy, a user from changing the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus; and

permit, in accordance with disablement of the encryption security policy, the user to change the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus in a case where any of conditions of the setting value of the access control information is not related to the authentication security policy which is in an enabled state,

wherein, even if the encryption security policy is disabled, image forming apparatus restricts the user from changing the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus in a case where at least one of conditions of the setting value of the access control information in the control program of the image forming apparatus is related to the authentication security policy which is in the enabled state.