Information processing systems and programs

Abstract

This system and program provides an information processing system that allows users to identify communication ports that may be necessary for their processing. [Solution] In an image forming system, when a communication is performed on a communication port that has been set to be disabled (disabled in S05), the processor of the image forming apparatus acquires the history information of the communication, blocks the transmission and reception of data in the communication (S06), and uses the acquired history information to notify the user to enable the communication port that may be necessary for processing (S08).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system and a program. [Background Art]

[0002] Patent Literature 1 describes a communication device with enhanced security.

[0003] Patent Literature 2 describes an information processing apparatus that reduces the possibility that a user unaware of the change of a setting value cannot use the own apparatus, compared to a case where processing is executed only under the changed setting value uniformly after changing the setting value while ensuring security, as compared with a case where the setting value of the own apparatus is not changed in accordance with the usage status and operating environment. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2024-008652 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-070027 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0005] For example, in an information processing system such as a multifunction peripheral, setting communication ports to disabled can enhance security, but on the other hand, there is a risk that it may interfere with cooperation services with external devices.

[0006] Therefore, instead of setting all communication ports included in the information processing system to disabled, it is desirable to set communication ports that may be necessary for a user's processing to enabled.

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an information processing system and program that allows users to identify communication ports that may be necessary for their processing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The information processing system in the first embodiment includes a processor, which, when communication is performed to a communication port that has been set to be disabled, acquires history information of the communication, blocks the transmission and reception of data in the communication, and uses the acquired history information to notify the user to enable any communication ports that may be necessary for processing.

[0009] In the second embodiment of the information processing system, the processor is configured to disable multiple types of communication ports simultaneously when security measures are configured.

[0010] In the third aspect of the information processing system, the processor in the second aspect of the information processing system excludes communication ports that have been individually configured to be disabled from the communication ports for which it is notified to be configured to be enabled.

[0011] In the fourth aspect of the information processing system, the processor in the first aspect of the information processing system notifies the system to enable a communication port if the number of abnormalities occurring in a communication port that has been set to be disabled exceeds a preset threshold.

[0012] In the fifth embodiment of the information processing system, in the fourth embodiment of the information processing system, the processor sets the threshold value higher for communication ports with a higher security risk.

[0013] In the sixth aspect of the information processing system, the processor, in the first aspect of the information processing system, identifies a communication port to be notified to be enabled, according to the history information of the communication port that has been set to be enabled, and notifies the identified communication port to be set to be enabled.

[0014] In the seventh aspect of the information processing system, in the first aspect of the information processing system, if the processor comes into use of a communication port that was previously set to be disabled due to an update of the software controlling the system, it notifies the system to enable the said communication port.

[0015] In the eighth aspect of the information processing system, the processor, in the first aspect of the information processing system, identifies a communication port to be notified to be enabled in response to an abnormality occurring in a communication port that has been disabled, and notifies the identified communication port to be enabled.

[0016] The program of the ninth aspect causes the computer to perform the following steps when a communication is performed on a communication port that has been set to be disabled: acquire history information of the communication and block the transmission and reception of data in the communication; and use the acquired history information to notify the computer to enable any communication ports that may be necessary for the user's processing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the information processing system of the first embodiment, the user can be made aware of communication ports that may be necessary for the user's processing.

[0018] According to the information processing system of the second embodiment, it is possible to configure the system to disable multiple types of communication ports at once.

[0019] According to the information processing system of the third embodiment, it is possible to prevent the system from notifying the user to enable a communication port that the user has intentionally disabled.

[0020] According to the information processing system of the fourth embodiment, the user can be made aware of communication ports that have exceeded a threshold number of communication executions, even though they are disabled.

[0021] According to the information processing system of the fifth aspect, the higher the security risk of a communication port, the more the frequency of notification prompting to set the communication port to enabled can be suppressed.

[0022] According to the information processing system of the sixth aspect, it is possible to allow the user to recognize communication ports that may be necessary for the user's processing from history information of other open communication ports.

[0023] According to the information processing system of the seventh aspect, it is possible to allow the user to recognize communication ports that have come to be used due to software updates.

[0024] According to the information processing system of the eighth aspect, it is possible to allow the user to recognize communication ports that may be necessary for the user's processing from communication counterparts involved in an abnormality that occurred in a communication port set to be disabled.

[0025] According to the program of the ninth aspect, it is possible to allow the user to recognize communication ports that may be necessary for the user's processing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus in the image forming system. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a notification for setting a communication port to enabled. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining specific processing for notifying to set a communication port that may be necessary for the user's processing to enabled. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a notification for setting a communication port to enabled. [Figure 6]This diagram illustrates the specific process for notifying a user to enable communication ports that may be necessary for their processing. [Figure 7] This diagram illustrates the specific process for notifying a user to enable communication ports that may be necessary for their processing. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates the specific process for notifying a user to enable communication ports that may be necessary for their processing. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart illustrating the process for setting the communication port in the image forming apparatus described above. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0027] Hereinafter, examples of embodiments for carrying out the technology of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of an image forming system according to one embodiment.

[0028] As shown in Figure 1, the image forming system of this embodiment consists of an image forming apparatus 10, a terminal device 20, and a service server 30.

[0029] The image forming apparatus 10 is a so-called multifunction device that has multiple functions such as copying, printing, faxing, and scanning. The image forming apparatus 10 is an example of an information processing system in the technology of this disclosure.

[0030] The terminal device 20 is a terminal for sending processing requests to the image forming apparatus 10. For example, the terminal device 20 generates print data and sends it to the image forming apparatus 10. The terminal device 20 is implemented, for example, by a computer or a smartphone. The image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 20 are interconnected via a local network 45.

[0031] The service server 30 is a server that provides various services, such as OCR (Optical Character Recognition) or translation. The service server 30 is connected to the local network 45 via the internet 40.

[0032] The image forming apparatus 10 can cooperate with the service server 30 to perform collaborative services, such as sending image data of a document scanned by the image forming apparatus 10 to the service server 30 and receiving OCR results from the service server 30.

[0033] Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be described. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0034] As shown in Figure 2, the image forming apparatus 10 comprises a control unit 11, a communication interface (abbreviated as communication IF) 12, a user interface device (abbreviated as UI device) 13, a print engine 14, and a scanner 15. These components are connected to each other via a control bus 16.

[0035] The control unit 11 comprises a processor 11a, a memory 11b, and a storage unit 11c. The processor 11a executes predetermined processing based on a program read from the storage unit 11c and expanded into the memory 11b. The storage unit 11c is composed of, for example, a ROM, HDD, or SSD. Various programs and data are stored in the storage unit 11c.

[0036] In this embodiment, the processor 11a is described as reading and executing a program stored in the memory unit 11c, but it is not limited to this. This program may be provided in the form of a computer-readable recording medium as described above. Alternatively, this program may be obtained from an external device via a communication line.

[0037] Communication IF12 is an interface for sending and receiving data with external devices, and is equipped with multiple communication ports that support services such as AirPrint®, HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), and SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).

[0038] The UI device 13 is, for example, a touch panel and / or buttons, a device for the user to receive and input information. The print engine 14 prints an image onto a recording medium such as printing paper through processes such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing. The scanner 15 reads the original document loaded into the image forming apparatus 10 and outputs it as image data in a set image format.

[0039] In the image forming apparatus 10, security is enhanced by disabling each communication port that constitutes the communication IF 12, but on the other hand, this may disrupt the cooperative service with the service server 30.

[0040] Therefore, rather than disabling all communication ports on the image forming apparatus 10, it is desirable to enable communication ports that may be necessary for user processing.

[0041] Therefore, when a communication is performed to a communication port that has been set to be disabled, the control unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment acquires the history information of the communication, blocks the transmission and reception of data in the communication, and uses the acquired history information to notify the user to enable any communication ports that may be necessary for processing.

[0042] Furthermore, if a communication is attempted to a communication port that has been disabled, the control unit 11 may establish the communication, block the transmission and reception of data in that communication, acquire communication history information as an anomaly, and then discard the established communication. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may acquire communication history information as an anomaly without establishing the communication, while blocking the transmission and reception of data in that communication.

[0043] As a notification to enable the communication port, for example, as shown in Figure 3, a message such as "AirPrint / 631 is disabled, please enable AirPrint / 631." can be displayed on the touch panel screen. In addition, any other notification method is acceptable, such as creating a report and sending it to the administrator user via email.

[0044] In the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the control unit 11 may be configured to disable multiple types of communication ports at once when security measures are set.

[0045] Here, "security measures settings" refer to settings to enhance security, and may include not only the "on" setting in an on / off option, but also settings at a specific level or higher in a range of options such as high / medium / low, or 5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1.

[0046] Furthermore, the control unit 11 may exclude communication ports that have been individually disabled from the list of communication ports for which it is notified to enable them.

[0047] First, an example of enabling / disabling a communication port will be described. In the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the security settings screen for the communication port allows for settings of "low security," "high security (no report)," or "high security (with report)." The administrator user can make any setting from these options for the image forming apparatus 10.

[0048] If "Low Security" is selected in the security settings screen for communication ports, the control unit 11 will enable all communication ports.

[0049] Furthermore, if "High Security" is selected in the security settings screen for communication ports, the control unit 11 will disable all communication ports.

[0050] Furthermore, even if "High Security" is set in the bulk security settings screen for communication ports, the control unit 11 can individually enable some communication ports based on instructions from the administrator user.

[0051] Furthermore, if the "No Reporting" mode is selected in the "High Security" setting, the control unit 11 will not establish communication when communication is attempted to a communication port that has been disabled.

[0052] Furthermore, if the "Reporting" mode is selected in the "High Security" setting, the control unit 11 establishes the communication, acquires the history information of the communication, and blocks the transmission and reception of data in the communication.

[0053] Next, we will explain in detail the specific process for notifying users to enable communication ports that may be necessary for their processing, given that some communication ports have been disabled.

[0054] As a first specific example, the control unit 11 may configure the control unit 11 to enable a communication port if the number of abnormalities that occur in a communication port that has been set to be disabled exceeds a preset threshold.

[0055] The threshold for the number of abnormalities may be set as the total number of abnormalities that occurred at the communication port regardless of the communication partner, or as the threshold for the number of abnormalities that occurred at a single communication partner.

[0056] For example, if the threshold is set to 10, which is the total number of anomalies that have occurred on a communication port regardless of the communication partner, then, as shown in Figure 4, "AirPrint / 631" devices that have experienced more than 10 anomalies across all communication ports will be subject to activation notifications.

[0057] Furthermore, even for communication ports that have not exceeded the threshold but have experienced one or more anomalies (such as "SNMP / 162" in Figure 4), notifications suggesting activation may be sent.

[0058] As a notification suggesting activation, for example, as shown in Figure 5, a message such as "SNMP / 162 is disabled, please check the SNMP / 162 settings." may be displayed on the touch panel screen to provide a notification suggesting activation.

[0059] In the first specific example, the control unit 11 may set the threshold value higher for communication ports with a higher security risk.

[0060] For example, as shown in Figure 6, the system is configured to disable two types of communication ports: "Port 9100 (printing) / 9100," which uses an unencrypted protocol and has a high security risk, and "SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) / 22," which uses an encrypted protocol and has a low security risk.

[0061] In this case, for example, the threshold for "SFTP / 22," which has a low security risk, could be set to "2," and the threshold for "Port9100 (printing) / 9100," which has a high security risk, could be set to "5," so that notifications for "SFTP / 22," which has a lower security risk, are more likely to be sent.

[0062] Next, as a second specific example, the control unit 11 may identify a communication port to be notified to be enabled based on the history information of the communication port that has been set to be enabled, and then notify the system to enable the identified communication port.

[0063] For example, as shown in Figure 7, assume that data transmission and reception between the communication partners "172.27.11.11" and "172.27.22.22" is successful in the "SFTP / 22" setting that is enabled.

[0064] In this case, the "AirPrint / 631" that is experiencing abnormalities in communication with the same communication partners, "172.27.11.11" and "172.27.22.22", will be the target of the activation notification.

[0065] Next, as a third specific example, the control unit 11 may, if a communication port that was previously disabled is newly used due to an update in the software that controls the image forming apparatus 10, notify the system to enable the said communication port.

[0066] For example, as shown in Figure 8, suppose that "SFTP / 22" was disabled on "2024 / 2 / 15," and then application A was updated on "2024 / 2 / 16" to start using "SFTP / 22" again. In this case, "SFTP / 22" will be the target of the activation notification.

[0067] Note that "SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) / 162" will not be subject to activation notification because application B, which uses "SNMP / 162," was updated on "January 15, 2024," prior to its deactivation on "February 15, 2024."

[0068] Next, as a fourth specific example, the control unit 11 may identify a communication port to be notified to be enabled in response to an abnormality that occurs in a communication port that has been set to be disabled, and then notify the other party to enable the identified communication port.

[0069] For example, if an anomaly occurs in a communication request originating from within the local network 45, it is highly likely that it is a communication attempt by a legitimate user (e.g., an employee), and the communication port where such an anomaly occurred will be subject to activation notification.

[0070] Furthermore, if an anomaly occurs in an external communication request to the local network 45, it is highly likely that the communication attempt is made by a user other than a legitimate user (e.g., an employee), and therefore, the communication port where such anomalies occur will not be subject to activation notifications.

[0071] Next, the flow of the communication port setting process in the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 9.

[0072] As shown in Figure 9, the control unit 11 of the image forming apparatus 10 first sets all communication ports to be disabled at once in step S01 based on the instruction input from the administrator user.

[0073] Next, in step S02, the control unit 11 records the type of communication port that was disabled and the date and time of the disabled port.

[0074] Next, in step S03, the control unit 11 operates the image forming apparatus 10.

[0075] Next, in step S04, the control unit 11 first determines whether an instruction to review the settings for the communication port or a communication request has been received.

[0076] If it is determined in step S04 that a communication request has been received, the control unit 11 determines in step S05 whether the communication port from which the communication request arrived is set to be enabled or disabled.

[0077] In step S05, if it is determined that the communication port from which the communication request arrived is set to be disabled, the control unit 11 establishes communication in step S06, obtains the history information of the communication, blocks the transmission and reception of data in the communication, and proceeds to step S04.

[0078] In step S05, if it is determined that the communication port from which the communication request arrived is set to be enabled, the control unit 11 performs normal processing in step S07, that is, establishes communication, obtains the history information of the communication, and performs the transmission and reception of data in the communication, and then proceeds to step S04.

[0079] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S04 that a setting review instruction has been given, the control unit 11 will, in step S08, notify the user to enable the communication port as necessary (i.e., if there is a communication port that may be required for user processing).

[0080] [Differentiation] Although an image forming system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified as appropriate.

[0081] In each of the embodiments described above, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0082] Furthermore, the operation of the processor in the above embodiments may not be performed by a single processor, but may be performed by multiple processors located in physically separate locations working together. Also, the order of the processor operations is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, but may be changed as appropriate.

[0083] Furthermore, in the technology of this disclosure, a system includes both systems composed of multiple devices and systems composed of a single device.

[0084] Furthermore, the technology disclosed herein can also be applied to programs and program products.

[0085] [Note] With regard to the embodiments described above, the following additional information is disclosed.

[0086] (((1))) Equipped with a processor, The aforementioned processor, When communication is attempted to a communication port that has been disabled, the history information of that communication is obtained, and the transmission and reception of data in that communication are blocked. Using the acquired history information, the system will notify the user to enable communication ports that may be necessary for processing. Information processing system.

[0087] (((2))) The aforementioned processor, When security measures are configured, the system will disable multiple types of communication ports at once. The information processing system described in (((1))).

[0088] (((3))) The aforementioned processor, Communication ports that have been individually disabled will be excluded from the list of communication ports that are notified to be enabled. The information processing system described in (((2))).

[0089] (((4))) The aforementioned processor, If the number of abnormalities occurring on a communication port that has been disabled exceeds a pre-set threshold, a notification will be sent to enable that communication port. An information processing system as described in any one of items (((1))) to (((3))).

[0090] (((5))) The aforementioned processor, The higher the security risk of a communication port, the higher the threshold value should be set. The information processing system described in (((4))).

[0091] (((6))) The aforementioned processor, Based on the history information of the communication ports that have been set to be enabled, the system identifies the communication ports that should be set to be enabled and notifies the system to enable those identified communication ports. An information processing system as described in any one of items (((1))) to (((3))).

[0092] (((7))) The aforementioned processor, If the software controlling your system is updated and a communication port that was previously disabled is now in use, you will be notified to enable that communication port. An information processing system as described in any one of items (((1))) to (((3))).

[0093] (((8))) The aforementioned processor, In response to an anomaly occurring in a communication port that has been disabled, the system identifies the communication port that should be enabled based on the communication partner, and then notifies the system to enable the identified communication port. An information processing system as described in any one of items (((1))) through (((7))).

[0094] (((9))) When communication is performed on a communication port that has been set to be disabled, the process includes obtaining the history information of the communication and blocking the transmission and reception of data in that communication. The steps include: using the acquired history information to notify the user to enable communication ports that may be necessary for processing; A program that causes a computer to execute something.

[0095] The effects of the configuration described below are explained below.

[0096] According to the information processing system (((1))), the user can be made aware of the communication ports that may be necessary for the user's processing.

[0097] According to the information processing system (((2))), it is possible to configure the system to disable multiple types of communication ports at once.

[0098] According to the information processing system in (((3))), it is possible to prevent the system from notifying users to enable communication ports that they have intentionally disabled.

[0099] According to the information processing system (((4))), even if a communication port is disabled, the user can be made aware of the communication ports whose number of communication attempts has exceeded a threshold.

[0100] According to the information processing system (((5))), the frequency of notifications to enable communication ports can be reduced for communication ports with a higher security risk.

[0101] According to the information processing system (((6))), the user can be made aware of the communication ports that may be necessary for their processing by looking at the history information of other open communication ports.

[0102] According to the information processing system (((7))), the user can be made aware of the communication ports that come into use due to software updates.

[0103] According to the information processing system (((8))), when an anomaly occurs in a communication port that has been set to be disabled, the communication partner can inform the user of a communication port that may be necessary for the user's processing.

[0104] According to the program in (((9))), the user can be made aware of the communication ports that may be necessary for processing the user. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 10 Image forming apparatus 11 Control Unit 11a processor 11b memory 11c storage section 12 Communication Interfaces 13. User Interface Device 14 Print Engines 15 Scanners 16 Control bus 20 Terminal devices 30 Management Server 40 Internet 45 Local Network

Claims

1. Equipped with a processor, The aforementioned processor, When communication is attempted to a communication port that has been disabled, the history information of that communication is obtained, and the transmission and reception of data in that communication are blocked. Using the acquired history information, the system will notify the user to enable communication ports that may be necessary for processing. Information processing system.

2. The aforementioned processor, When security measures are configured, the system will disable multiple types of communication ports at once. The information processing system according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned processor, Communication ports that have been individually disabled will be excluded from the list of communication ports that are notified to be enabled. The information processing system according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned processor, If the number of abnormalities occurring on a communication port that has been disabled exceeds a pre-set threshold, a notification will be sent to enable that communication port. The information processing system according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned processor, The higher the security risk of a communication port, the higher the threshold value should be set. The information processing system according to claim 4.

6. The aforementioned processor, Based on the history information of the communication ports that have been set to be enabled, the system identifies the communication ports that should be set to be enabled and notifies the system to enable those identified communication ports. The information processing system according to claim 1.

7. The aforementioned processor, If the software controlling your system is updated and a communication port that was previously disabled is now in use, you will be notified to enable that communication port. The information processing system according to claim 1.

8. The aforementioned processor, In response to an anomaly occurring in a communication port that has been disabled, the system identifies the communication port that should be enabled based on the communication partner, and then notifies the system to enable the identified communication port. The information processing system according to claim 1.

9. When communication is performed on a communication port that has been set to be disabled, the process includes obtaining the history information of the communication and blocking the transmission and reception of data in that communication. The steps include: using the acquired history information to notify the user to enable communication ports that may be necessary for processing; A program that causes a computer to execute something.

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