Information processing apparatus, method for controlling information processing apparatus, and storage medium

Abstract

To provide a mechanism capable of preventing an expiration date exceeding a compromise period of an algorithm used for issuance processing of an electronic certificate from being set as the expiration date of the electronic certificate.SOLUTION: The multifunction peripheral 101 generates a public key pair. Further, the multifunction peripheral 101 generates, in accordance with an instruction by the user, an issuance request for an electronic certificate for certifying the validity of the multifunction peripheral 101, which is an issuance request including a certificate signing request generated based on the public key in the public key pair. The multifunction peripheral 101 performs control for preventing an expiration date exceeding the compromise time of the algorithm used for the issuance processing of the electronic certificate from being included in the issuance request for the electronic certificate as the expiration date of the electronic certificate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, a control method for an information processing device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Digital certificates are used to ensure secure network communications. An information processing device transmits a request for issuing a digital certificate to a certification authority, which is a third-party organization, to prove its own legitimacy, and holds the digital certificate issued by the certification authority (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The information processing device transmits this digital certificate to a device with which it is communicating, and the device with which it is communicating uses the received digital certificate to verify the legitimacy of the information processing device.

[0003] However, the algorithms used in issuing digital certificates can no longer maintain the cryptographic strength they were designed for after a certain period of time due to the computing power of computers and efficient analytical methods. This is called "compromise." The compromise period for each algorithm is determined by public organizations such as NIST and Cryptrec. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-139369 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] On the other hand, when issuing a digital certificate to certify the validity of an information processing device, the user of the information processing device may specify an expiration date for the digital certificate, but may unintentionally specify an expiration date that exceeds the compromise time of the algorithm. As a result, a digital certificate with an expiration date that exceeds the compromise time of the algorithm is issued. Such a digital certificate increases the risk of being tampered with once the compromise time has passed, even if it is still within its validity period, making it impossible to achieve secure network communication.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a mechanism that can prevent an expiration date of an electronic certificate from being set that exceeds the time when the algorithm used in the process of issuing the electronic certificate becomes compromised. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the information processing device of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises: a means for generating a public key pair; a means for generating, in accordance with user instructions, an issuance request for an electronic certificate to prove the legitimacy of the information processing device, the issuance request including a certificate signature request generated based on the generated public key; a means for performing control to prevent an expiration date of the electronic certificate that exceeds the compromise time of the algorithm used in the issuance process of the electronic certificate from being included in the issuance request; and a means for acquiring the electronic certificate generated in accordance with the issuance request. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the expiration date of an electronic certificate from being set to a date that exceeds the time when the algorithm used in the process of issuing the electronic certificate becomes compromised. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a network configuration diagram of a multifunction peripheral as an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2]2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how an electronic certificate is used by the multifunction peripheral of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the multifunction peripheral of FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of the multifunction peripheral of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a series of processes for issuing an electronic certificate and registering the electronic certificate in the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a certificate issuance request screen according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the issuance request generation process in S504 of FIG. 5. [Figure 8] 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the expiration date determination process in S710 of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 4 is a diagram showing an example of management data stored in the ROM of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 10] 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the digital certificate registration process in S507 of FIG. 5. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of a database stored in the HDD of FIG. 3. [Figure 12] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed based on HTML data generated in the digital certificate registration process of FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 13] 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the restart process in S510 of FIG. 5. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed based on the HTML data generated in S1302 of FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an update reservation setting screen in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a reservation update control process for an electronic certificate executed by the multifunction peripheral of FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen for setting an operation policy when the expiration date exceeds the endangerment time. [Figure 18]FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an error screen according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a multifunction peripheral (digital multifunction peripheral / MFP / Multi Function Peripheral) is used as an example of an information processing device that uses and manages digital certificates. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to multifunction peripherals, and may be any device that can use digital certificates.

[0011] First, an information processing device and a control method thereof according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the network configuration of a multifunction peripheral 101 as an information processing apparatus according to this embodiment.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, the multifunction peripheral 101 performs data communication with a certification authority / registration authority 102 and a PC 103 via a network 104. The multifunction peripheral 101 can also transmit and receive print data, scanned image data, device management information, and the like to and from other information processing devices via the network 104. The multifunction peripheral 101 has the function of performing encrypted communication using TLS, IPSEC, IEEE802.1X, and the like, and holds a public key pair and an electronic certificate used for these encryption processes. The electronic certificate is a certificate that certifies the legitimacy of the multifunction peripheral 101 and is issued by the certification authority / registration authority 102.

[0014] The certification authority / registration authority 102 functions as a server that has the functions of a certification authority (CA) that issues digital certificates and the functions of a registration authority (RA) that accepts and registers requests for issuance of digital certificates.

[0015] The certification authority / registration authority 102 has a function of distributing CA certificates via the network 104. A CA certificate is a certificate for verifying the validity of an electronic certificate. The certification authority / registration authority 102 also has a function of issuing and registering electronic certificates. In this embodiment, the Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) is used as the network protocol when using this function. An information processing device such as the multifunction peripheral 101 communicates with the certification authority / registration authority 102 via the network 104 using SCEP to obtain an electronic certificate. The multifunction peripheral 101 in this embodiment has a web server function and exposes a web page-type Remote UI (RUI) function on the network 104 that can issue instructions for issuing an electronic certificate.

[0016] When the certification authority / registration authority 102 receives a request for issuance of a digital certificate from an information processing device such as the multifunction peripheral 101 via the network 104, it issues and registers a digital certificate based on the issuance request and transmits the digital certificate to the information processing device. While the present embodiment describes a configuration in which the certification authority function and the registration authority function operate within the same server device, the certification authority function and the registration authority function may operate on separate server devices. Furthermore, the present embodiment describes a configuration in which SCEP is used as the protocol for using the functions of distributing CA certificates and issuing and registering digital certificates via the network 104, but the protocol used at this time is not limited to SCEP and may be another protocol with equivalent functions to SCEP. Examples of other protocols include CMP (Certificate Management Protocol) and EST (Enrollment over Secure Transport) protocol.

[0017] The PC 103 is a personal computer equipped with a web browser function, and is capable of viewing and using HTML documents and websites published by information processing devices such as the multifunction peripheral 101 connected to the network 104.

[0018] Next, an example of how the digital certificate is used in the multifunction peripheral 101 will be described.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how an electronic certificate is used by the multifunction peripheral 101 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the multifunction peripheral 101 has a device-specific public key pair and an electronic certificate. This electronic certificate is assumed to be signed by the certification authority / registration authority 102. The multifunction peripheral 101 scans a paper document and creates an electronic copy of this document. This electronic copy is image data in an existing data format such as PDF. The multifunction peripheral 101 creates a signature using a private key held by the multifunction peripheral 101, and assigns the created signature and electronic certificate to the electronic copy.

[0020] The PC 103 that receives this electronic document checks the signature of the electronic document. A root certificate for verifying the legitimacy of the CA certificate is pre-installed in the OS of the PC 103, and the PC 103 performs signature verification using this root certificate. This makes it possible to verify that the electronic certificate attached to the electronic document is an electronic certificate signed by the certification authority / registration authority 102. Furthermore, by verifying using the signature and electronic certificate attached to the electronic document, the PC 103 can prove that the electronic document generated by scanning with the multifunction peripheral 101 has not been tampered with.

[0021] Next, an outline of the process for obtaining and updating a digital certificate in this embodiment will be described.

[0022] The administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 uses a web browser installed on the PC 103 to access a web page made public by the multifunction peripheral 101 and issue instructions to issue a digital certificate from this web page. The multifunction peripheral 101 requests the certification authority / registration authority 102 to issue a digital certificate using SCEP in accordance with the instructions entered by the administrator. The multifunction peripheral 101 acquires the digital certificate included in the response to this issuance request, i.e., the digital certificate issued by the certification authority / registration authority 102, and sets the usage of the acquired digital certificate. Details of the usage setting of the digital certificate will be described later.

[0023] Next, the configuration of the multifunction peripheral 101 will be described. Fig. 3 is a block diagram that schematically shows the hardware configuration of the multifunction peripheral 101 of Fig. 1. In Fig. 3, the multifunction peripheral 101 includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, a HDD 304, a network I / F control unit 305, a scanner I / F control unit 306, a scanner 307, a printer I / F control unit 308, a printer 309, a panel control unit 310, and an operation panel 311. The CPU 301, ROM 302, RAM 303, HDD 304, network I / F control unit 305, scanner I / F control unit 306, printer I / F control unit 308, and panel control unit 310 are connected to each other via a bus 312 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0024] The CPU 301 executes the software programs of the multifunction device 101 and controls the entire multifunction device 101. The ROM 302 is a read-only memory that stores the boot program and fixed parameters of the multifunction device 101. The RAM 303 is a random access memory that is used, for example, to temporarily store various data used by the CPU 301 to control the multifunction device 101. The HDD 304 is a hard disk drive that stores system software, applications, and various data.

[0025] A network I / F control unit 305 controls sending and receiving of data to and from external devices via the network 104. A scanner I / F control unit 306 is a module for controlling a scanner 307. The scanner 307 reads an original document and generates image data of the original document. A printer I / F control unit 308 is a module for controlling a printer 309. The printer 309 performs printing based on print data received from the printer I / F control unit 308. A panel control unit 310 controls a touch panel type operation panel 311, displays various information, and acquires instructions input by a user to the operation panel 311.

[0026] 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the software configuration of the multifunction peripheral 101 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the multifunction peripheral 101 includes, as software modules, a network driver 401, a network control unit 402, a communication control unit 403, a Web page control unit 404, a key pair / certificate acquisition control unit 405, an encryption processing unit 406, a key pair / certificate management unit 407, a UI control unit 408, a print / read processing unit 409, and a device control unit 410. The control unit including these software modules is hereinafter referred to as the control unit 400. In this specification, the control unit 400 includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, a HDD 304, and the like. Programs for executing the following flowcharts are stored in any one of the storage means, ROM 302, RAM 303, and HDD 304, of the control unit 400, and are executed by the CPU 301.

[0027] The network driver 401 controls the network I / F control unit 305 to control data communication with external devices via the network 104. The network control unit 402 controls communication below the transport layer in a network communication protocol such as TCP / IP to send and receive data. The communication control unit 403 is a module for controlling multiple communication protocols supported by the multifunction peripheral 101. In the process of acquiring and updating a digital certificate in this embodiment, the communication control unit 403 generates and analyzes request and response data for HTTP protocol communication and controls data sending and receiving, thereby realizing communication with the certification authority / registration authority 102 and the PC 103. The communication control unit 403 also realizes encrypted communication according to TLS, IPSEC, and IEEE802.1X, which are supported by the multifunction peripheral 101.

[0028] Web page control unit 404 is a module that controls the generation of HTML data for a web page for issuing instructions to issue a digital certificate, etc., and controls the transmission of this HTML data to an external device such as PC 103. Web page control unit 404 executes processing in response to a web page display request received by network driver 401 from an external device. For example, in accordance with the received web page display request, web page control unit 404 outputs the web page HTML data stored in RAM 303 or HDD 304, or HTML data generated in accordance with the contents of this display request, as a response to this display request.

[0029] The key pair and certificate acquisition control unit 405 is a module for executing the process of acquiring an electronic certificate in accordance with instructions received from the web page control unit 404. The key pair and certificate acquisition control unit 405 controls communications by SCEP, generates and analyzes encrypted data required for communications by SCEP such as PKCS#7 and PKCS#10, stores the acquired electronic certificate, sets its use, etc.

[0030] The encryption processing unit 406 is a module for executing various cryptographic processes such as data encryption and decryption, signature generation and verification, hash value generation, etc. In the process of acquiring and updating a digital certificate in this embodiment, the encryption processing unit 406 executes each cryptographic process required for generating and analyzing SCEP request and response data.

[0031] The key pair and certificate management unit 407 is a module for managing public key pairs and electronic certificates held by the multifunction peripheral 101. The public key pairs and electronic certificates are stored in the RAM 303 or the HDD 304 together with various setting values. In addition, processes such as displaying details of, generating, and deleting public key pairs and electronic certificates can also be performed in accordance with instructions from the operation panel 311. In this embodiment, in encrypted communication processes such as TLS, IPSEC, and IEEE802.1X executed by the communication control unit 403, the encryption processing unit 406 obtains the public key pairs and electronic certificates used in the encrypted communication processes from the key pair and certificate management unit 407.

[0032] The UI control unit 408 is a module for controlling the operation panel 311 and the panel control unit 310. The print / read processing unit 409 is a module for implementing functions such as printing by the printer 309 and image reading by the scanner 307. The device control unit 410 is a module for generating control commands and control data for the multifunction peripheral 101 and for overall control of the multifunction peripheral 101. For example, the device control unit 410 controls the power supply of the multifunction peripheral 101 and executes restart processing of the multifunction peripheral 101 in accordance with instructions received from the web page control unit 404.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a series of processes for issuing an electronic certificate and registering the electronic certificate in this embodiment.

[0034] 5, first, in S501, the PC 103 transmits a request to display a digital certificate signing request screen to the multifunction peripheral 101. In this embodiment, the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 uses a web browser installed on the PC 103 to connect to a web page-style RUI published by the multifunction peripheral 101 and inputs various instructions related to the issuance of a digital certificate into this RUI. In S501, the PC 103 transmits a request to display a digital certificate signing request screen to the multifunction peripheral 101 in accordance with the instructions input into this RUI by the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101.

[0035] Next, in S502, the control unit 400 of the multifunction peripheral 101 transmits HTML data for displaying the certificate issuance request screen of Fig. 6 to the PC 103 in response to the display request received from the PC 103. The PC 103 displays the certificate issuance request screen of Fig. 6 on the display unit of the PC 103 based on the received HTML data.

[0036] The certificate issuance request screen in FIG. 6 comprises a name 600, a public key encryption algorithm 601, a hash algorithm 602, a key length 603, input of issuer information 604, signature verification 605, key usage 606, a password 607, an expiration date 608, and an execute button 609.

[0037] An arbitrary character string to be registered in association with the generated public key pair and digital certificate information is input into the name 600. A public key encryption algorithm used to generate the public key pair is input into the public key encryption algorithm 601. A hash algorithm used to generate the public key pair is input into the hash algorithm 602. Note that while FIG. 6 shows a configuration in which the algorithms used to generate the public key pair are input as character strings for the public key encryption algorithm 601 and the hash algorithm 602, this configuration is not limiting. For example, these may be configured as radio buttons or check boxes, allowing the user to select one from multiple algorithms available to the multifunction peripheral 101.

[0038] In the key length 603, the key length of the public key pair to be generated is set. In the issuer information input 604, information about the issuer of the digital certificate is input. In the signature verification 605, whether or not to verify the signature attached to the response sent from the certification authority / registration authority 102 is set. In the key usage 606, the purpose of the issued digital certificate is set. In this embodiment, in the key usage 606, any of TLS, IPSEC, and IEEE802.1X encrypted communication can be set. In the password 607, a password to be included in the digital certificate issuance request is input. In the expiration date 608, the expiration date of the digital certificate to be issued is input. Note that in this embodiment, the algorithm used to generate the public key pair and the expiration date of the digital certificate are set on the certificate issuance request screen of FIG. 6, but these may also be set on other screens. The execute button 609 is a button for instructing transmission of the digital certificate issuance request.

[0039] When the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 clicks the execute button 609, in S503 the PC 103 transmits an instruction to send a request for issuance of an electronic certificate to the multifunction peripheral 101. This transmission instruction includes the setting values ​​set on the certificate issuance request screen of Fig. 6. Note that if the algorithm used to generate the public key pair and the expiration date of the electronic certificate are set on a screen other than the certificate issuance request screen of Fig. 6, this transmission instruction also includes the algorithm used to generate the public key pair and the expiration date of the electronic certificate set by the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101, in addition to the setting values ​​set on the certificate issuance request screen of Fig. 6.

[0040] Next, in S504, the control unit 400 of the multifunction peripheral 101 performs the issuance request generation process shown in Fig. 7 (described later) in accordance with the received transmission instruction to generate a digital certificate issuance request. Note that this digital certificate issuance request is a message in the PKCS#7 format defined by SCEP.

[0041] Next, in S505, the control unit 400 sends the request for issuing the digital certificate generated in S504 to the certification authority / registration authority 102, which is the SCEP server, using the GET method or POST method of the HTTP protocol based on the preset address information.

[0042] Next, in S506, the certification authority / registration authority 102 transmits response data to the received issuance request to the multifunction peripheral 101. This response data includes a digital certificate signed by the certification authority / registration authority 102.

[0043] Upon receiving this response data, the control unit 400 of the multifunction peripheral 101 performs the digital certificate registration process shown in Fig. 10 (described later) in S507, registers the digital certificate issued by the certification authority / registration authority 102, and generates result data of the issuance request. The result data of the issuance request is HTML data for displaying a Web page screen indicating whether the digital certificate was successfully acquired.

[0044] Next, in S508, the control unit 400 transmits the result data of the issuance request generated in S507 to the PC 103. Note that the communication control unit 403 in this embodiment obtains the electronic certificate used for encrypted communication such as IEEE802.1X when the multifunction peripheral 101 is started up. Therefore, in order for the communication control unit 403 to obtain a new electronic certificate issued by the certification authority / registration authority 102, the multifunction peripheral 101 must be restarted.

[0045] Next, in S509, when the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 clicks a restart button 1202 in FIG.

[0046] Upon receiving the restart request, the control unit 400 of the multifunction peripheral 101 performs the restart process shown in Fig. 13 (to be described later) in S510, and then the process ends.

[0047] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure for the issuance request generation process of S504 in Fig. 5. In this embodiment, the multifunction peripheral 101 is assumed to have stored in advance in the HDD 304 a CA certificate for certifying the legitimacy of the digital certificate, the CA certificate having been distributed by the certification authority / registration authority 102.

[0048] 7, first, in S701, the control unit 400 receives an instruction to send a request for issuance of a digital certificate. Note that this instruction to send includes the setting values ​​set on the certificate issuance request screen of FIG. 6, as described above. Next, in S702, the control unit 400 acquires the setting values ​​included in the instruction to send received in S701. Next, in S703, the control unit 400 acquires from the HDD 304 a CA certificate for certifying the validity of the digital certificate.

[0049] Next, in S704, the control unit 400 causes the encryption processing unit 406 to perform processing for generating a public key pair and a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) in PKSC#10 (RFC2986: PKCS#10: Certification Request Syntax Specification) format. The public key pair is generated based on the set values ​​of the name 600, public key encryption algorithm 601, and key length 603 acquired in S702. The certificate signing request is generated based on the generated public key, the set value of the issuer information input 604 acquired in S702, and the set value of the password 607.

[0050] Next, in S705, the control unit 400 determines whether the generation of the public key pair and the certificate signing request was successful. If it is determined that the generation of the public key pair and the certificate signing request was unsuccessful, the process proceeds to S711, which will be described later. If it is determined that the generation of the public key pair and the certificate signing request was successful, the process proceeds to S706.

[0051] In S706, the control unit 400 performs processing to generate a digital certificate issuance request. This digital certificate issuance request includes the certificate signing request generated in S704 and the setting values ​​acquired in S702. As described above, this digital certificate issuance request is a message in PKCS#7 format defined by SCEP. Next, in S707, the control unit 400 determines whether or not the generation of the digital certificate issuance request was successful. If it is determined that the generation of the digital certificate issuance request was unsuccessful, the process proceeds to S711, which will be described later. If it is determined that the generation of the digital certificate issuance request was successful, the process proceeds to S708.

[0052] In S708, the control unit 400 connects to the certification authority / registration authority 102, which is an SCEP server, using the TCP / IP protocol. Next, in S709, the control unit 400 determines whether or not the connection to the certification authority / registration authority 102 was successful. If it is determined that the connection to the certification authority / registration authority 102 was unsuccessful, the process proceeds to S711, which will be described later. If it is determined that the connection to the certification authority / registration authority 102 was successful, the process proceeds to S710.

[0053] In S710, the control unit 400 performs the expiration date determination process shown in Fig. 8 (described later) to prevent an expiration date that exceeds the compromise time of the algorithm used in the digital certificate issuance process from being included in the digital certificate issuance request as the expiration date of the digital certificate. After that, this process ends.

[0054] In S711, control unit 400 performs error processing. In the error processing, HTML data for displaying a Web page screen including a message indicating the occurrence of an error is sent to PC 103. Thereafter, this processing ends.

[0055] Now, let's explain what happens when an algorithm is compromised. Due to the computing power of computers and efficient analytical methods, the algorithm used in issuing digital certificates can no longer maintain the cryptographic strength it was designed for after a certain point in time. This is called a "compromise." Continuing to use a compromised algorithm is dangerous, and the time of compromise is set for each algorithm by organizations such as NIST SP 800-57 in the United States and CRYPTREC in Japan. For example, signatures using RSA public key cryptography with a key length of 2048 bits are expected to be compromised in 2031.

[0056] Meanwhile, when issuing a digital certificate for the multifunction peripheral 101, the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 may specify the expiration date of the digital certificate on the certificate issuance request screen of FIG. 6, but may unintentionally specify an expiration date that exceeds the compromise date of the algorithm as the expiration date of the digital certificate. This results in the issuance of a digital certificate with an expiration date that exceeds the compromise date of the algorithm. Such a digital certificate increases the risk of being tampered with once the compromise date has passed, even if it is within the validity period, making it impossible to achieve secure network communication. To achieve secure network communication, it is necessary to control the expiration date of the digital certificate so that an expiration date that exceeds the compromise date of the algorithm is not set.

[0057] In contrast, in this embodiment, the expiration date determination process shown in Figure 8 is performed, and control is performed to prevent an expiration date that exceeds the compromise time of the algorithm used in the electronic certificate issuance process from being included in the electronic certificate issuance request as the expiration date of the electronic certificate.

[0058] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure for the expiration date determination process of S710 in Fig. 7. In this embodiment, it is assumed that management data 901 in Fig. 9(a) and management data 902 in Fig. 9(b) are stored in advance in ROM 302. The management data 901 records, for each key length, the expiration dates of algorithms that can be selected as public key encryption algorithms used to issue public key pairs. The management data 902 records the expiration dates of algorithms that can be selected as hash algorithms used to issue public key pairs. The information recorded in the management data 901 and management data 902 is defined and updated by public organizations such as NIST and CRYPTREC.

[0059] 8, in S801, the control unit 400 extracts the setting value of the expiration date 608 from the digital certificate issuance request generated in S706, and assigns the extracted value to the variable L.

[0060] Next, in S802, the control unit 400 extracts the setting value of the public key encryption algorithm 601 and the setting value of the key length 603 from the digital certificate issuance request generated in S706.

[0061] Next, in S803, the control unit 400 determines a first compromise time corresponding to the set value of the public key encryption algorithm 601 and the set value of the key length 603 acquired in S802, using the management data 901 stored in the ROM 302. For example, if the set value of the public key encryption algorithm 601 is "RSA" and the set value of the key length 603 is "2048 bits," in S803 the first compromise time is determined to be "2031."

[0062] Next, in S804, the control unit 400 determines whether or not the variable L exceeds the first compromise time. If it is determined that the variable L exceeds the first compromise time, the process proceeds to S805. If it is determined that the variable L does not exceed the first compromise time, the process proceeds to S806.

[0063] In S805, the control unit 400 rewrites the variable L to the date one day before the first compromise time. For example, if the first compromise time is "2031," the control unit 400 rewrites the variable L to "December 31, 2030." Next, in S806, the control unit 400 extracts the setting value of the hash algorithm 602 from the digital certificate issuance request generated in S706.

[0064] Next, in S807, the control unit 400 determines the second compromise time corresponding to the setting value of the hash algorithm 602 acquired in S806, using the management data 902 stored in the ROM 302. For example, if the setting value of the hash algorithm 602 is "SHA-256," in S807 the second compromise time is determined to be "2051."

[0065] Next, in S808, the control unit 400 determines whether or not the variable L exceeds the second compromise time. If it is determined that the variable L exceeds the second compromise time, the process proceeds to S809. If it is determined that the variable L does not exceed the second compromise time, the process proceeds to S810.

[0066] In S809, the control unit 400 rewrites the variable L to the date one day before the second compromise time. For example, if the second compromise time is "2051," the control unit 400 rewrites the variable L to "December 31, 2050." Next, in S810, the control unit 400 rewrites the expiration date in the digital certificate issuance request to the date of the variable L. Then, this process ends.

[0067] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the digital certificate registration process in S507 of FIG.

[0068] 10, first, in S1001, the control unit 400 determines whether or not the response data sent by the certification authority / registration authority 102 in response to the request for issuance of a digital certificate has been successfully received. The response data is data defined by SCEP and is in PKCS#7 format. If it is determined that the reception of the response data has failed, the process proceeds to S1012, which will be described later. If it is determined that the reception of the response data has been successful, the process proceeds to S1002.

[0069] In S1002, the control unit 400 determines whether or not to perform signature verification based on the setting value of the signature verification 605 acquired in S702 described above. If it is determined that signature verification is not to be performed, the process proceeds to S1005, which will be described later. If it is determined that signature verification is to be performed, the process proceeds to S1003.

[0070] In S1003, the control unit 400 performs signature verification. Specifically, the control unit 400 verifies the signature data attached to the response data received in S1001 using the public key included in the CA certificate acquired in S703. Next, in S1004, the control unit 400 determines whether or not authentication of the signature data was successful in the signature verification in S1003. If it is determined that authentication of the signature data was unsuccessful in the signature verification in S1003, the process proceeds to S1012, which will be described later. If it is determined that authentication of the signature data was successful in the signature verification in S1003, the process proceeds to S1005.

[0071] In S1005, the control unit 400 analyzes the response data received in S1001 using the encryption processing unit 406, and acquires the digital certificate included in this response data. Next, the control unit 400 determines whether acquisition of the digital certificate was successful. If it is determined that acquisition of the digital certificate failed, the process proceeds to S1012, which will be described later. If it is determined that acquisition of the digital certificate was successful, the process proceeds to S1007.

[0072] In S1007, the control unit 400 performs a registration process for the acquired electronic certificate. Specifically, the control unit 400 causes the key pair and certificate management unit 407 to store the acquired electronic certificate and the public key pair generated in S704 in a predetermined directory of the HDD 304. In this embodiment, the key pair and certificate management unit 407 of the control unit 400 manages a database stored in the HDD 304. This database records information about the electronic certificate stored in the HDD 304 and the public key pair corresponding to the electronic certificate (see, for example, FIG. 11(a)). In S1007, the key pair and certificate management unit 407 adds information about the electronic certificate and public key pair stored in the predetermined directory to this database (see, for example, 1101 in FIG. 11(b)). In this way, the acquired electronic certificate is registered as an electronic certificate corresponding to the public key pair generated in S704.

[0073] Next, in S1008, the control unit 400 determines whether or not the registration of the electronic certificate was successful. If it is determined that the registration of the electronic certificate was unsuccessful, the process proceeds to S1012, which will be described later. If it is determined that the registration of the electronic certificate was successful, the process proceeds to S1009.

[0074] In S1009, the control unit 400 sets the purpose of the electronic certificate based on the setting value of the key purpose 606 acquired in S702. Here, the purpose setting refers to the communication function that uses the electronic certificate. In this embodiment, encrypted communication such as TLS, IPSEC, and IEEE802.1X can be set as the purpose setting of the electronic certificate. Furthermore, the multifunction peripheral 101 of this embodiment can have multiple electronic certificates, and a purpose setting can be made for each of these electronic certificates. For example, the multifunction peripheral 101 uses a first electronic certificate when providing a server service that performs TLS communication as a Web server, and a second electronic certificate when performing client communication using IEEE802.1X. However, one electronic certificate may be automatically applied to all communication purposes. Furthermore, the key pair / certificate management unit 407 of the control unit 400 updates the purpose information in the database in accordance with the purpose setting of the electronic certificate in S1009 (see, for example, 1102 in FIG. 11(c)). In Figure 11(c), the public key pair and digital certificate used in TLS have been changed from "Cert1" to "Cert4."

[0075] Next, in S1010, control unit 400 determines whether the use setting of the digital certificate was successful. If it is determined that the use setting of the digital certificate was unsuccessful, this process proceeds to S1012, which will be described later. If it is determined that the use setting of the digital certificate was successful, this process proceeds to S1011.

[0076] In S1011, the control unit 400 generates HTML data for displaying the screen shown in Fig. 12(a). The screen shown in Fig. 12(a) includes a message 1201 indicating that the digital certificate has been successfully acquired, and a restart button 1202 for instructing the multifunction peripheral 101 to restart. After that, this process ends.

[0077] In S1012, control unit 400 generates HTML data for displaying the screen shown in Fig. 12(b). The screen shown in Fig. 12(b) includes a message 1203 indicating that acquisition of the digital certificate has failed. Thereafter, this process ends.

[0078] The above-described processing of S502, S504, S505, S507, and S508 by the multifunction peripheral 101 constitutes control related to the acquisition of an electronic certificate and the setting of the intended use of the electronic certificate. Hereinafter, this control will be collectively referred to as "automatic electronic certificate acquisition control." This automatic electronic certificate acquisition control enables the multifunction peripheral 101 to simultaneously perform the processing of sending an issuance request for an electronic certificate to the certification authority / registration authority 102, the processing of acquiring an electronic certificate issued by the certification authority / registration authority 102, and the processing of setting the intended use of this electronic certificate. In other words, the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 does not need to issue separate execution instructions for these processes, thereby reducing the workload of the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101.

[0079] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the restart process in S510 of FIG.

[0080] 13, in S1301, the control unit 400 receives a restart request. In this embodiment, as described above, when the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 clicks the restart button 1202 in FIG. 12(a) displayed on the display unit of the PC 103, the PC 103 transmits a restart request to the multifunction peripheral 101.

[0081] Next, in S1302, the control unit 400 responds to the received restart request. Specifically, the control unit 400 transmits HTML data for displaying the screen of Fig. 14 to the multifunction peripheral 101 as a response to the received restart request. The screen of Fig. 14 includes a message 1401 informing the multifunction peripheral 101 that the multifunction peripheral 101 will be restarted.

[0082] Next, in S1303, the control unit 400 instructs the device control unit 410 to start rebooting. Upon receiving this instruction, the device control unit 410 reboots the multifunction peripheral 101. After that, this processing ends. When the rebooting processing described above is completed, the multifunction peripheral 101 becomes able to use the digital certificate obtained from the certification authority / registration authority 102.

[0083] It is assumed that the MFP 101 in this embodiment cannot reflect the setting of a communication purpose such as IEEE802.1X for an acquired digital certificate without rebooting. This is because, for example, a digital certificate such as IEEE802.1X is loaded into RAM 303 when the MFP 101 is booted and continues to be used, and the digital certificate stored in HDD 304 may not be replaced with a new digital certificate. However, if the MFP 101 can switch the digital certificate used for communication purposes without rebooting, rebooting may not be necessary.

[0084] According to the first embodiment described above, control is performed to prevent an expiration date that exceeds the compromise date of the algorithm used in the issuance process from being included in a request for issuance of a digital certificate as the expiration date of the digital certificate. This makes it possible to prevent an expiration date that exceeds the compromise date of the algorithm used in the issuance process from being set as the expiration date of the digital certificate.

[0085] In the first embodiment described above, the algorithm used in the process of issuing a digital certificate is the public key encryption algorithm used to generate the public key pair, which prevents the expiration date of the digital certificate from being set to a date that exceeds the endangerment date of the public key encryption algorithm used to generate the public key pair.

[0086] In the first embodiment, the algorithm used in the process of issuing a digital certificate is the hash algorithm used to generate a public key pair. This prevents the expiration date of a digital certificate from being set to a date that exceeds the endangerment date of the hash algorithm used to generate the public key pair.

[0087] In the first embodiment described above, the control for preventing an expiration date of the electronic certificate included in a request for issuance of an electronic certificate that exceeds the compromise date of the algorithm used in the issuance process from being included as the expiration date of the electronic certificate is to rewrite the expiration date of the electronic certificate included in the request for issuance of an electronic certificate to a date one day before the compromise date of the algorithm. This reliably prevents an expiration date that exceeds the compromise date of the algorithm used in the issuance process from being set as the expiration date of the electronic certificate.

[0088] In this embodiment, the multifunction peripheral 101 receives instructions from the PC 103 via its own web page-type RUI and executes the above-described processing in accordance with the instructions, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the multifunction peripheral 101 may execute the above-described processing in accordance with instructions received via an LUI (Local UI) using the operation panel 311 of the multifunction peripheral 101, rather than via a web page-type RUI.

[0089] Furthermore, for a web page-type RUI, instead of the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 directly and manually operating it, the input fields and operation instructions of the web page may be made into templates and rules in advance, and requests may be issued to the multifunction peripheral 101 by automatically inputting and instructing from a PC or another management server. In this case, for example, web scraping technology or the like may be used.

[0090] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a configuration has been described in which whether or not to perform signature verification is controlled based on the setting value of Signature Verification 605, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the certificate issuance request screen in Fig. 6 does not include Signature Verification 605, and the configuration may be such that signature verification is always performed, or the configuration may be such that signature verification is not performed.

[0091] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the certificate signing request is configured to include a password, but the certificate signing request may not include a password.

[0092] Next, an information processing device and a control method thereof according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0093] The second embodiment is basically the same as the first embodiment in terms of configuration and operation, but differs from the first embodiment in that the automatic digital certificate acquisition control is executed when a preset time is reached, rather than in response to a user instruction. Therefore, a description of the overlapping configuration and operation will be omitted, and the following will describe the different configuration and operation.

[0094] In the first embodiment described above, a web page-type RUI was provided to the user of the multifunction peripheral 101 using the web server function of the multifunction peripheral 101, and the user gave instructions to the multifunction peripheral 101 via the RUI, automatically issuing a digital certificate and setting its purpose. This digital certificate has an expiration date. An electronic certificate that has passed its expiration date becomes invalid, preventing proper communication authentication and interfering with network communication. For this reason, if the digital certificate held by a device is nearing its expiration date or has expired, it must be updated. However, if there are multiple devices that use digital certificates, it is difficult for the device administrator to update the digital certificates after understanding the expiration dates of all of the digital certificates.

[0095] In contrast to this, in the second embodiment, the above-described automatic digital certificate acquisition control is executed when a predetermined time is reached, rather than in response to an instruction from a user.

[0096] 15 is a diagram showing an example of an update reservation setting screen in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, as an example, this update reservation setting screen, like other screens, is displayed on the display unit of the PC 103 by a web page-type RUI. Note that this update reservation setting screen may also be configured to be displayed on the operations panel 311 of the multifunction peripheral 101. This update reservation setting screen allows the renewal date of the electronic certificate to be set, and includes three setting means that differ in the method of setting the renewal date of the electronic certificate: specifically, update date specification setting 1501, expiration date specification setting 1502, and cycle setting 1503.

[0097] The renewal date specification setting 1501 allows the renewal date of the electronic certificate to be specified by year, month, date, and time, and when the current date and time stored in the multifunction device 101 reaches the date and time set in the renewal date specification setting 1501, the above-mentioned automatic electronic certificate acquisition control is executed.

[0098] In the expiration date specification setting 1502, the renewal date of the electronic certificate can be specified as the number of days based on the expiration date of the electronic certificate, and when the expiration date of the electronic certificate becomes less than the specified number of days, the above-mentioned automatic electronic certificate acquisition control is executed.

[0099] The period setting 1503 can specify the interval for updating the electronic certificate, and the above-mentioned automatic electronic certificate acquisition control is executed at the specified interval. The period setting 1503 can be set to either the number of days indicating the update interval, the date for monthly updates, or the date for annual updates. When the setting value on the update reservation setting screen is updated, the control unit 400 saves the setting value on the update reservation setting screen to the HDD 304. FIG. 15 shows an example of a screen in which the expiration date specification setting 1502 is set to execute the above-mentioned automatic electronic certificate acquisition control 14 days before the expiration date. The configuration of the update reservation setting screen is merely an example, and the update reservation setting screen may include an item for setting the electronic certificate renewal date using a method different from the method described above.

[0100] Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing the procedure for the reservation renewal control process for the electronic certificate executed by the multifunction device 101 of Fig. 1. The reservation renewal control process for the electronic certificate of Fig. 16 is executed when the multifunction device 101 is started up or periodically at a predetermined time, for example, at midnight every day.

[0101] In FIG. 16, in S1601, the control unit 400 acquires the setting values ​​of the update reservation setting screen from the HDD 304.

[0102] Next, in S1602, the control unit 400 acquires information about the currently used digital certificate. This information is acquired from a database (see, for example, FIG. 11(c)) managed by the key pair and certificate management unit 407.

[0103] Next, in S1603, the control unit 400 acquires the current time of the multifunction peripheral 101. Next, in S1604, the control unit 400 compares the setting values ​​on the update reservation setting screen with the information on the electronic certificate, and determines whether or not the currently used electronic certificate needs to be updated. If it is determined that the electronic certificate does not need to be updated, this process returns to S1601. If it is determined that the electronic certificate needs to be updated, this process proceeds to S1605.

[0104] In S1605, the control unit 400 performs the automatic digital certificate acquisition control described above. Next, in S1606, the control unit 400 determines whether or not restarting the multifunction peripheral 101 is necessary. For example, if the usage setting of the digital certificate updated by the automatic digital certificate acquisition control is "IEEE802.1X," restarting is required as described above, and therefore it is determined that restarting the multifunction peripheral 101 is necessary. In this case, the process proceeds to S1607. On the other hand, if the usage setting of the digital certificate updated by the automatic digital certificate acquisition control is "TLS," restarting is not necessary, and therefore it is determined that restarting the multifunction peripheral 101 is not necessary. In this case, the process ends.

[0105] In S1607, the control unit 400 performs the above-described restart process, and then this process ends.

[0106] In the second embodiment described above, the automatic electronic certificate acquisition control described above is executed when a preset time is reached. That is, the electronic certificate is automatically updated on the specified update date or update interval without the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 manually issuing an instruction. This allows the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 to update the electronic certificate at the appropriate time without any hassle, even if he or she does not know the expiration dates of all electronic certificates. Furthermore, as described above, the automatic electronic certificate acquisition control performs control to prevent an expiration date that exceeds the compromise date of the algorithm used in the issuance process of the electronic certificate from being included in the issuance request as the expiration date of the electronic certificate. This makes it possible to prevent the expiration date of the updated electronic certificate from being set to a date that exceeds the compromise date of the algorithm used in the issuance process of the electronic certificate.

[0107] Next, an information processing device and a control method thereof according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0108] The third embodiment is basically the same as the first embodiment in terms of configuration and operation, but differs from the first embodiment in that it prevents an expiration date that exceeds the compromise time from being included in a request for issuance of a digital certificate as the expiration date of the digital certificate by a method other than setting the expiration date to one day before the compromise time. Therefore, a description of the overlapping configuration and operation will be omitted, and the following describes the different configuration and operation.

[0109] In the first and second embodiments described above, the expiration date is rewritten to be set to one day before the compromise time, thereby preventing an expiration date that exceeds the compromise time from being included in the request for issuance of an electronic certificate as the expiration date of the electronic certificate.

[0110] In contrast, in the third embodiment, the administrator of the multifunction device 101 switches control to prevent an expiration date that exceeds the compromise time from being included in a request to issue an electronic certificate as the expiration date of the electronic certificate, based on the setting values ​​set on the setting screen of Figure 17.

[0111] 17 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for setting an operation policy when the expiration date exceeds the endangerment time. In the third embodiment, as an example, this setting screen is displayed on the display unit of the PC 103 by a web page-type RUI, like other screens. Note that this setting screen may also be configured to be displayed on the operation panel 311 of the multifunction peripheral 101. This setting screen is a screen that can only be operated by the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101. On this setting screen, it is possible to select one of four options using a radio button.

[0112] On this setting screen, a first option, "No Restrictions," can be selected. When "No Restrictions" is selected, the digital certificate designated by the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 can be used regardless of whether the expiration date of the digital certificate has passed the endangerment period of the algorithm used in the process of issuing the digital certificate.

[0113] Also, on this setting screen, a second option, "Keep valid until compromised," can be selected. If "Keep valid until compromised" is selected, the expiration date is rewritten to one day before the time of compromise, as in the first embodiment described above, and control is exercised so that an expiration date beyond the time of compromise is not set as the expiration date of the digital certificate.

[0114] Additionally, on this setting screen, a third option, "Valid until a maximum of XX days" can be selected. If "Valid until a maximum of XX days" is selected, the period for which the digital certificate will be valid can be specified as the number of days from the present. Note that although Figure 17 shows a configuration in which the number of days is set using a text box, it is also possible to set the number of days using a pull-down menu instead of a text box.

[0115] Also, on this setting screen, a fourth option, "Give a warning," can be selected. If "Give a warning" is selected, a warning is issued when the expiration date of the digital certificate designated by the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 exceeds the endangerment date of the algorithm used in the process of issuing this digital certificate, and the automatic digital certificate acquisition control is stopped.

[0116] Depending on the settings on this setting screen, the operation of the issuance request generation process changes as follows:

[0117] If "No Restriction" is selected, and if it is determined in S709 that the connection with the certification authority / registration authority 102 was successful, the issuance request generation process ends without performing S710. In other words, the process of rewriting the expiration date to a date one day before the compromise time is not performed, and the expiration date specified by the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 is included as is in the digital certificate issuance request.

[0118] If "Valid until compromised" is selected, the issuance request generation process rewrites the expiration date to the date one day before the compromise time, as in the first embodiment described above.

[0119] If "Valid up to XX days" is selected, in steps S805 and S809 described above, the variable L is rewritten to the date on which the process was performed plus the number of days entered in the text box. In other words, the request for issuance of the digital certificate sets the number of days on which the process was performed plus the number entered in the text box as the validity period of the digital certificate.

[0120] If "Warning" is selected, when it is determined in S804 that the variable L has exceeded the first compromise time, the process does not proceed to S805 but performs error processing, and when it is determined in S808 that the variable L has exceeded the second compromise time, the process does not proceed to S809 but performs error processing. In this error processing, for example, HTML data for displaying the error screen shown in FIG. 18 is sent from the multifunction peripheral 101 to the PC 103. This screen includes a message informing the user that the specified expiration date exceeds the compromise time of the algorithm used in the digital certificate issuance process. In addition, the automatic digital certificate acquisition control is stopped. In other words, a digital certificate issuance request is not sent to the certification authority / registration authority 102. By controlling in this manner, it is possible to prevent the issuance of a digital certificate with an expiration date that exceeds the compromise time of the algorithm used at the time of issuance from occurring.

[0121] In the third embodiment described above, control is switched to prevent an expiration date that exceeds the compromise time from being included in a request for issuance of a digital certificate, based on the setting value set by the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 on the setting screen in Fig. 17. This allows the user's intention to be reflected in the control.

[0122] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program.The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0123] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configurations and methods. (Configuration 1) An information processing device comprising: a means for generating a public key pair; a means for generating, in accordance with user instructions, an issuance request for an electronic certificate to prove the legitimacy of the information processing device, the issuance request including a certificate signature request generated based on the generated public key; a means for performing control to prevent an expiration date of the electronic certificate that exceeds the compromise time of the algorithm used in the issuance process of the electronic certificate from being included in the issuance request; and a means for acquiring the electronic certificate generated in accordance with the issuance request. (Configuration 2) The information processing device according to configuration 1, wherein the algorithm is a public key encryption algorithm used to generate the public key pair. (Configuration 3) The information processing device according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the algorithm is a hash algorithm used to generate the public key pair. (Configuration 4) An information processing device described in any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that the control is a control to rewrite the expiration date of the electronic certificate included in the issuance request to a date one day before the time when the algorithm becomes compromised. (Configuration 5) An information processing device described in any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that the control is to stop sending the issuance request to the certification authority that issues the electronic certificate and to warn that the expiration date specified as the expiration date of the electronic certificate has exceeded the time when the algorithm will be compromised. (Configuration 6) The information processing device according to configuration 4 or 5, further comprising means for switching the control based on a setting value set by a user. (Configuration 7) An information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, further comprising: a means for reading a document and generating image data of the document; and a means for creating a signature using the generated private key and assigning the signature and the electronic certificate to the image data of the document. (Configuration 8) The information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, further comprising a printing means. [Explanation of symbols]

[0124] 101 Multifunction device 301 CPU 307 Scanner 309 Printer 400 control section

Claims

1. An information processing device, a means for generating a public key pair; means for generating an issuance request for an electronic certificate for verifying the authenticity of the information processing device, the issuance request including a certificate signature request generated based on the generated public key in accordance with an instruction from a user; a control means for preventing an expiration date of the electronic certificate from being included in the issuance request as an expiration date of the electronic certificate that exceeds the time when the algorithm used in the issuance process of the electronic certificate will be compromised; An information processing device comprising: means for acquiring an electronic certificate generated in accordance with the issuance request.

2. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the algorithm is a public key encryption algorithm used to generate the public key pair.

3. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the algorithm is a hash algorithm used to generate the public key pair.

4. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control is to rewrite the expiration date of the electronic certificate included in the issuance request to a date one day before the time when the algorithm becomes compromised.

5. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control is to stop sending the issuance request to the certification authority that issues the electronic certificate and to issue a warning that the expiration date specified as the expiration date of the electronic certificate has exceeded the time when the algorithm will be compromised.

6. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: means for switching the control based on a setting value set by a user.

7. means for reading a document and generating image data of the document; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for creating a signature using the generated private key and adding the signature and the digital certificate to the image data of the document.

8. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a printing unit.

9. A control method for an information processing device, comprising: generating a public key pair; generating an issuance request for an electronic certificate for verifying the authenticity of the information processing device, the issuance request including a certificate signing request generated based on the generated public key in accordance with an instruction from a user; performing a control step to prevent an expiration date of the digital certificate from being included in the issuance request as an expiration date of the digital certificate that exceeds the time when the algorithm used in the issuance process will be compromised; A method for controlling an information processing device, comprising the step of acquiring an electronic certificate generated in accordance with the issuance request.

10. A program for causing a computer to execute a control method for an information processing device, The control method for the information processing device includes: generating a public key pair; generating an issuance request for an electronic certificate for verifying the authenticity of the information processing device, the issuance request including a certificate signing request generated based on the generated public key in accordance with an instruction from a user; performing a control step to prevent an expiration date of the digital certificate from being included in the issuance request as an expiration date of the digital certificate that exceeds the time when the algorithm used in the issuance process will be compromised; a step of acquiring an electronic certificate generated in accordance with the issuance request.

Images