Information Processing Apparatus and Information Processing Program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device and an information processing program capable of determining whether or not to transmit, to an external device, log information of an application program according to reliability of the application program.SOLUTION: An image forming device 14 includes a CPU 21. The CPU 21 acquires signature information indicating whether or not a signature is attached to an application program installed in a device. When the signature information indicates that a signature is not attached to the application program, the CPU 21 transmits log information expressing an operation log of the application program to a server 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a log output device including: a generation unit that generates a log indicating an execution history of processing; a first list including first static information indicating that the processing is abnormal; a second list including second static information indicating that the processing is normal; a third list including dynamic information for determining whether to output the log according to the log; a memory that holds the lists; and a selection unit that determines to output the log when the log generated by the generation unit has the first static information, and determines not to output the log when the log generated by the generation unit has the second static information, wherein the selection unit determines whether to output the log based on the log generated by the generation unit and the third list.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An application program installed in a device may be provided with a signature indicating its validity. An application program with a signature is more reliable than an application program without a signature. Therefore, for the log information of an application program with a signature, there may be cases where it does not need to be transmitted to an external device.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to be able to determine whether to transmit log information of an application program to an external device according to the reliability of the application program.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to a first aspect includes a processor, and the processor acquires signature information indicating whether a signature is given to an application program installed in a device. When the signature information indicates that no signature is given to the application program, the processor transmits log information representing an operation log of the application program to an external device.

[0007] Further, in the information processing apparatus according to a second aspect, in the information processing apparatus according to the first aspect, when the processor executes access to predetermined data by the application program, the processor acquires the signature information.

[0008] Further, in the information processing apparatus according to a third aspect, in the information processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, when the signature information indicates that a signature is given to the application program and the application program is not a pre-installed program, the processor transmits the log information to an external device.

[0009] Further, in the information processing apparatus according to a fourth aspect, in the information processing apparatus according to the third aspect, when the device is executing predetermined processing and the application program has executed access to predetermined data, the processor transmits the log information to an external device.

[0010] Further, the information processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect is the information processing apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the processor represents a case where the signature information indicates that the application program is signed, and the user is logged in to the device, and when the application program executes access to predetermined data, the log information is transmitted to an external device.

[0011] Further, the information processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect is the information processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the processor represents a case where the signature information indicates that the application program is signed, and when the application program executes access to predetermined data due to operation information being input to the device from the logged-in user, the log information is transmitted to an external device.

[0012] Further, the information processing apparatus according to the seventh aspect is the information processing apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the device operates in either a power-saving mode or a normal mode, and the processor transmits the log information to an external device when the device is operating in the normal mode and the application program executes access to predetermined data.

[0013] Further, the information processing apparatus according to the eighth aspect is the information processing apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the log information includes identification information of the user operating the device or identification information of the user who installed the application program on the device.

[0014] Further, the information processing apparatus according to the ninth aspect is the information processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the processor does not transmit the log information to an external device when the signature information indicates that the application program is signed.

[0015] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the information processing program according to the tenth aspect causes a computer to execute a process of acquiring signature information indicating whether or not a signature is given to an application program installed in a device, and when the signature information indicates that no signature is given to the application program, transmitting log information representing an operation log of the application program to an external device.

Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the first aspect, the ninth aspect, and the tenth aspect, it is possible to determine whether or not to transmit log information of an application program to an external device according to the reliability of the application program.

[0017] According to the second aspect, compared to transmitting all the log information of an application program without a signature to an external device, it is possible to transmit the log information of an application program with low reliability to an external device while reducing the amount of log information transmitted to the external device.

[0018] According to the third aspect, even for an application program with a signature, it is possible to transmit the log information of an application program with lower reliability than a pre-installed program installed since the shipment of the device to an external device.

[0019] According to the fourth aspect, compared to transmitting all the log information when the device is operating to an external device, it is possible to transmit the log information of an application program with low reliability to an external device while reducing the amount of log information transmitted to the external device.

[0020] According to the fifth aspect, compared to transmitting all the log information when the device is operating to an external device, it is possible to transmit the log information of an application program highly likely to be caused by a user to an external device while reducing the amount of log information transmitted to the external device.

[0021] According to the sixth aspect, it is possible to transmit the log information of the application program that is highly likely to be caused by the user's operation to the external device while reducing the amount of log information transmitted to the external device compared to transmitting all the log information when the device is operating to the external device.

[0022] According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to transmit the log information of the application program with low reliability to the external device while reducing the amount of log information transmitted to the external device compared to transmitting the log information of the application program even when the device is in the power-saving mode to the external device.

[0023] According to the eighth aspect, it is possible to identify the user who operated the application program with low reliability or the user who installed the application program with low reliability.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0025] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or equivalent components and parts are given the same reference numerals. Also, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may be different from the actual ratios.

[0026] [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system according to this embodiment.

[0027] The information processing system 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming apparatus 14 which is an example of an information processing apparatus, and a server 16 which is an example of an external apparatus. The image forming apparatus 14 has an image printing function, an image reading function, an image transmitting function, and the like.

[0028] A plurality of application programs are installed in the image forming apparatus 14. The image forming apparatus 14 acquires various processing results by executing the application programs. Note that among the plurality of application programs, there may be an application program that performs an operation that harms the image forming apparatus 14. For example, there may be an application program that performs an operation that hinders the normal operation of the image forming apparatus 14, an operation that steals confidential information of the image forming apparatus 14, or an operation that destroys data of the image forming apparatus 14. These application programs are not only those that initially execute an operation that harms the image forming apparatus 14, but may also perform an operation that harms the image forming apparatus 14 due to an improper access from the outside.

[0029] Therefore, for example, log information representing the operation log of the application program is recorded, the log information is transmitted to an external apparatus, and an attack or the like on the image forming apparatus 14 is detected by analyzing the log information by the external apparatus. At this time, for example, when the operation log represented by the log information satisfies a predetermined condition, the log information is transmitted to the external apparatus.

[0030] On the one hand, an application program installed in the image forming apparatus 14 may be provided with a signature indicating its authenticity. An application program with a signature is more reliable than an application program without a signature. Such an application program is less likely to perform operations that would harm the image forming apparatus 14 due to unauthorized external access.

[0031] However, when simply determining whether to transmit log information to an external device according to the content of the log information, the log information of an application program with a signature will also be transmitted to the external device. For this reason, although an application program with a signature is highly reliable and less likely to perform operations that would harm the image forming apparatus 14, its log information may be frequently transmitted to the external device. The transmission of the log information of a highly reliable application program to the external device not only increases the traffic of the communication network but also complicates the analysis and processing of the log information in the external device. On the other hand, when determining whether to transmit the log information to the external device based on the content of the log information, the log information of an application program without a signature and with low reliability may not be transmitted to the external device even though it is necessary to transmit it to the external device.

[0032] Therefore, when the application program that has started operating in the image forming apparatus 14 of the present embodiment does not have a signature, the image forming apparatus 14 transmits log information representing the operation log of the application program to the server 16. For this reason, when the application program that has started operating in the image forming apparatus 14 of the present embodiment has a signature, in principle, the log information of the application program is not transmitted to the server 16. Thereby, it is possible to determine whether to transmit the log information to the external device according to the reliability of the application program. Furthermore, by transmitting only the log information of an application program with low reliability to the external device, the traffic of the communication network can be reduced.

[0033] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the computer included in the image forming apparatus 14.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 14 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 23, a storage 24, an input unit 25, a display unit 26, and a communication interface (I / F) 27. Each component is connected so as to be communicable with each other via a bus 29.

[0035] The CPU 21 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each unit. That is, the CPU 21 reads a program from the ROM 22 or the storage 24 and executes the program using the RAM 23 as a work area. The CPU 21 performs control of the above-described components and various arithmetic processes according to the programs recorded in the ROM 22 or the storage 24. In the present embodiment, an information processing program and a plurality of application programs are stored in the ROM 22 or the storage 24.

[0036] The ROM 22 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 23 temporarily stores a program or data as a work area. The storage 24 is configured by a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory, and stores various programs including an operating system and various data.

[0037] The input unit 25 includes a pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and is used to perform various inputs.

[0038] The display unit 26 is, for example, a liquid crystal display and displays various information. The display unit 26 may adopt a touch panel method and function as the input unit 25.

[0039] The communication interface 27 is an interface for communicating with other devices such as the server 16, and for example, standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), etc. are used.

[0040] The image forming apparatus 14 realizes various functions by using the above hardware resources. The functional configuration realized by the image forming apparatus 14 will be described.

[0041] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 14.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 14 has, as a functional configuration, an operation determination unit 30, a signature determination unit 32, a log recording unit 34, and a transmission unit 36. Each functional configuration is realized by the CPU 21 reading out and executing an information processing program stored in the ROM 22 or the storage 24.

[0043] When the application program stored in the ROM 22 or the storage 24 of the CPU 21 of the image forming apparatus 14 starts operating, the operation determination unit 30 acquires operation information representing the operation of the application program. Then, based on the operation information of the application program, the operation determination unit 30 determines whether the operation of the application program is a predetermined operation.

[0044] The predefined operation is, for example, a dangerous operation that may cause harm to the image forming apparatus 14, the administrator of the image forming apparatus 14, or the user who operates the image forming apparatus 14. For example, the predefined operation includes an operation of accessing predefined data. For example, it includes accessing confidential data of the image forming apparatus 14, accessing system data necessary for the operation of the image forming apparatus 14, accessing a certificate of the image forming apparatus 14 used when the external apparatus communicates with the image forming apparatus 14, accessing an authentication token used when the external apparatus communicates with the image forming apparatus 14, or accessing a directory or file not permitted in the image forming apparatus 14. Hereinafter, the predefined operation of the application program is simply referred to as a "dangerous operation".

[0045] When the application program starts operating, the signature determination unit 32 acquires signature information indicating whether a signature is given to the application program installed in the image forming apparatus 14. Specifically, when the application program stored in the ROM 22 or the storage 24 starts operating, the signature determination unit 32 acquires the signature information from a predefined area in the application program.

[0046] Note that when acquiring the signature information, the signature determination unit 32 may acquire the signature information of the application program that has started operating from the table data in which it is managed as a list whether signatures are given to a plurality of application programs.

[0047] Then, the signature determination unit 32 verifies the acquired signature information. Specifically, the signature determination unit 32 determines whether the acquired signature information indicates that the application program has a signature or that the application program does not have a signature. When the signature information indicates that the application program does not have a signature, the signature determination unit 32 stores log information representing the operation log of the application program in the log recording unit 34. On the other hand, when the signature information indicates that the application program has a signature, the signature determination unit 32 does not acquire the log information.

[0048] The log recording unit 34 stores the log information obtained by the signature determination unit 32.

[0049] The transmission unit 36 transmits the log information stored in the log recording unit 34 to the server 16. Note that the transmission unit 36 may sequentially transmit the log information stored in the log recording unit 34 to the server 16, may transmit the log information to the server 16 every time a predetermined time elapses, or may transmit the log information to the server 16 when the application program ends its operation.

[0050] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the operation of the image forming apparatus 14 according to the first embodiment will be described. When an application program stored in the ROM 22 or the storage 24 starts operating under the control of the CPU 21 of the image forming apparatus 14, the CPU 21 of the image forming apparatus 14 executes an information processing program, and the information processing shown in FIG. 4 is executed. The information processing shown in FIG. 4 is repeatedly executed until the application program ends its operation.

[0051] In step S100, the CPU 21, as the operation determination unit 30, acquires operation information representing the operation of the application program.

[0052] In step S102, the CPU 21, acting as the operation determination unit 30, determines whether the operation of the application program is a dangerous operation based on the operation information acquired in step S100. If it is determined that the operation of the application program is a dangerous operation, the process proceeds to step S104. If the operation of the application program is not a dangerous operation, this process ends.

[0053] In step S104, the CPU 21, acting as the signature determination unit 32, acquires the signature information of the running application program.

[0054] In step S106, the CPU 21, acting as the signature determination unit 32, verifies the signature information acquired in step S104 and determines whether the running application program is signed. If the running application program is signed, this process ends. On the other hand, if the running application program is not signed, the process proceeds to step S108.

[0055] In step S108, the CPU 21, acting as the signature determination unit 32, stores the log information of the running application program in the log recording unit 34.

[0056] In step S110, the CPU 21, acting as the transmission unit 36, transmits the log information stored in the log recording unit 34 to the server 16.

[0057] The server 16 that has received the log information analyzes the log information. And if an abnormality is detected in the log information, for example, the server 16 notifies the administrator of the image forming apparatus 14 of the abnormality.

[0058] The image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment acquires signature information indicating whether or not a signature is given to an application program installed in the own apparatus. Then, when the signature information indicates that the signature is not given to the application program, the image forming apparatus transmits log information indicating an operation log of the application program to the server. Thereby, it is possible to determine whether or not to transmit the log information of the application program to an external device according to the reliability of the application program. Further, when the application program executes a dangerous operation, the log information is transmitted to the server, so that the amount of log information transmitted to the external device is reduced as compared with transmitting all the log information of the application program without a signature to the external device, and the log information of the application program with low reliability can be transmitted to the external device. Further, since the server acquires the log information, it is possible to quickly detect an attack or the like on the image forming apparatus 14.

[0059] [Second Embodiment] Next, the second embodiment will be described. The image forming apparatus 14 according to the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that even when a signature is given to an application program, when the image forming apparatus 14 is operated by the user and the application program performs a dangerous operation, the log information is transmitted to the server 16.

[0060] Even when a signature is given to an application program, there is a case where the application program performs an operation that harms the image forming apparatus 14 by the user operating the application program himself / herself. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 14 according to the second embodiment transmits the log information to the server 16 when the image forming apparatus 14 is operated by the user even when a signature is given to the application program.

[0061] Specifically, the operation determination unit 30 of the second embodiment determines whether an application program has executed a dangerous operation when operation information is input to the image forming apparatus 14 from the user. For example, the operation determination unit 30 determines whether the application program has executed access to predetermined data in response to the operation information input from the user.

[0062] Note that the user inputs operation information to the image forming apparatus 14 via a touch panel type user interface displayed on the display unit 26 of the image forming apparatus 14 or a terminal (not shown) communicably connected to the communication interface (I / F) 27.

[0063] Then, based on the determination result by the operation determination unit 30, when the application program has executed a dangerous operation due to the input of operation information from the user to the image forming apparatus 14, the signature determination unit 32 stores the log information of the application program in the log recording unit 34. Then, the transmission unit 36 transmits the log information stored in the log recording unit 34 to the server 16.

[0064] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the operation of the image forming apparatus 14 according to the second embodiment will be described. When an application program stored in the ROM 22 or the storage 24 starts operating under the control of the CPU 21 of the image forming apparatus 14, the CPU 21 of the image forming apparatus 14 executes an information processing program, and the information processing shown in FIG. 5 is executed. The information processing shown in FIG. 5 is repeatedly executed until the application program ends its operation.

[0065] Each process from step S100 to step S104 is executed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0066] In step S206, as the signature determination unit 32, the CPU 21 verifies the signature information acquired in step S104 and determines whether a signature is given to the operating application program. If a signature is given to the operating application program, the process proceeds to step S207. On the other hand, if no signature is given to the operating application program, the process proceeds to step S108.

[0067] In step S207, as the signature determination unit 32, the CPU 21 determines whether the application program has executed a dangerous operation when operation information is input from the user to the image forming apparatus 14. If the application program has executed a dangerous operation by the user's operation, the process proceeds to step S108. If the dangerous operation is not due to the user's operation, this process ends.

[0068] The processes of steps S108 to S110 are executed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0069] The image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment transmits log information to the server when the signature information indicates that a signature is given to the application program and the application program has executed a dangerous operation when operation information is input from the user to the image forming apparatus. Thereby, compared with transmitting all the log information when the image forming apparatus is operating to the server, while reducing the amount of log information transmitted to the server, the log information of the application program highly likely to be caused by the user's operation can be transmitted to the server.

[0070] [Third Embodiment] Next, the third embodiment will be described. The image forming apparatus 14 according to the third embodiment transmits log information to the server 16 when the application program is not a pre-installed application program (hereinafter simply referred to as "pre-installed program") even if the application program is signed. This is different from the first and second embodiments.

[0071] Among the application programs with signatures, there are also programs that are not pre-installed in the image forming apparatus 14. Additional application programs that are not the application programs installed at the time of shipment of the image forming apparatus 14 are less reliable than pre-installed programs.

[0072] Therefore, the image forming apparatus 14 according to the third embodiment stores the log information in the log recording unit 34 when the signature information of the started application program indicates that the application program is signed, but the application program is not a pre-installed program.

[0073] Specifically, the signature determination unit 32 according to the third embodiment determines whether the application program is a pre-installed program. Then, when the signature information indicates that the application program is signed and the application program is not a pre-installed program, the signature determination unit 32 stores the log information in the log recording unit 34. Then, the transmission unit 36 transmits the log information to the server 16.

[0074] Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the operation of the image forming apparatus 14 according to the third embodiment will be described. When an application program stored in the ROM 22 or the storage 24 starts operating under the control of the CPU 21 of the image forming apparatus 14, the CPU 21 of the image forming apparatus 14 executes an information processing program, whereby the information processing shown in FIG. 6 is executed. The information processing shown in FIG. 6 is repeatedly executed until the application program ends its operation.

[0075] Each process from step S100 to step S104 is executed in the same manner as in the first embodiment or the second embodiment.

[0076] In step S306, the CPU 21, as the signature determination unit 32, verifies the signature information acquired in step S104 and determines whether a signature is given to the operating application program. If a signature is given to the operating application program, the process proceeds to step S307. On the other hand, if no signature is given to the operating application program, the process proceeds to step S108.

[0077] In step S307, the CPU 21, as the signature determination unit 32, determines whether the operating application program is a pre-installed program. If the operating application program is a pre-installed program, this process ends. On the other hand, if the operating application program is not a pre-installed program, the process proceeds to step S108.

[0078] Each process from step S108 to step S110 is executed in the same manner as in the first embodiment or the second embodiment.

[0079] The image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment transmits log information to the server when the signature information indicates that the application program is signed and the application program is not a pre-installed program. Thereby, even for an application program with a signature, it is possible to transmit the log information of an application program with lower reliability than the pre-installed program installed since the shipment of the image forming apparatus to the server.

[0080] As described above, the embodiments have been explained, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. Various changes or improvements can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the gist of the invention, and the forms with such changes or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0081] Also, each of the above embodiments does not limit the present invention, and not all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution means of the present invention. The above-described embodiments include inventions at various stages, and various inventions are extracted by combining a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. Even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiments, as long as the effects can be obtained, the configuration with some of these constituent elements deleted can be extracted as an invention.

[0082] For example, in each of the above embodiments, the case where the information processing apparatus of the present invention is the image forming apparatus 14 has been described as an example, but the information processing apparatus may be a device such as a personal computer, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal.

[0083] Further, in the image forming apparatus 14 of each of the above embodiments, when the application program is signed and the application program performs a dangerous operation while the user is logged in to the image forming apparatus 14, log information may be stored in the log recording unit 34 and the log information may be transmitted to the server 16. In this case, the operation determination unit 30 determines whether or not a user is logged in to the image forming apparatus 14. Then, when the user is logged in to the image forming apparatus 14 and the application program performs a dangerous operation, the operation determination unit 30 stores the log information in the log recording unit 34. For example, when the application program accesses predetermined data as a dangerous operation, the operation determination unit 30 stores the log information in the log recording unit 34. Then, the transmission unit 36 transmits the log information stored in the log recording unit 34 to the server 16. Thereby, compared with transmitting all the log information when the device is operating to an external device, while reducing the amount of log information transmitted to the external device, the log information of the application program highly likely to be caused by the user can be transmitted to the external device. Also, the log information of the dangerous operation of the application program due to the user's operation while the user is logged in to the image forming apparatus 14 can be transmitted to the server 16.

[0084] Further, in the case where the image forming apparatus 14 of each of the above embodiments operates in either the power saving mode or the normal mode, when the image forming apparatus 14 is operating in the normal mode, if an application program with a signature performs a dangerous operation, log information may be stored in the log recording unit 34 and the log information may be transmitted to the server 16. In this case, the operation determination unit 30 determines whether the image forming apparatus 14 is operating in the normal mode. Then, when the image forming apparatus 14 is operating in the normal mode and an application program with a signature performs a dangerous operation, the signature determination unit 32 stores the log information in the log recording unit 34. For example, when an application program accesses predetermined data as a dangerous operation, the operation determination unit 30 stores the log information in the log recording unit 34. Then, the transmission unit 36 transmits the log information stored in the log recording unit 34 to the server 16. As a result, compared to transmitting the log information of the application program when the device is in the power saving mode to an external device, the amount of log information transmitted to the external device can be reduced while the log information of an application program with low reliability can be transmitted to the external device. Specifically, the log information of a dangerous operation of an application program due to a user's operation when the image forming apparatus 14 is operating in the normal mode can be transmitted to the server 16.

[0085] Further, in the image forming apparatus 14 of each of the above embodiments, when an application program performs a dangerous operation while the image forming apparatus 14 is executing a predetermined process such as printing, log information may be stored in the log recording unit 34 and the log information may be transmitted to the server 16. In this case, the operation determination unit 30 determines whether the image forming apparatus 14 is executing a predetermined process such as printing. Then, when the image forming apparatus 14 is executing a predetermined process and an application program with a signature performs a dangerous operation, the signature determination unit 32 stores the log information in the log recording unit 34. For example, when an application program accesses predetermined data as a dangerous operation, the operation determination unit 30 stores the log information in the log recording unit 34. Then, the transmission unit 36 transmits the log information stored in the log recording unit 34 to the server 16. Thereby, compared with transmitting all the log information when the image forming apparatus 14 is operating to the server 16, the amount of log information transmitted to the server 16 can be reduced while the log information of an application program with low reliability can be transmitted to the server 16. Also, the log information of a dangerous operation of an application program due to a user operation when the image forming apparatus 14 is executing a job such as printing can be transmitted to the server 16.

[0086] Further, in the image forming apparatus 14 of each of the above embodiments, when the image forming apparatus 14 is operated by a user and an application program with a signature performs a dangerous operation, the user ID, which is the identification information of the user, may also be included in the log information. Thereby, the user who caused a dangerous operation in the application program can be specified.

[0087] Further, in the image forming apparatus 14 of each of the above embodiments, when the application program with a signature is not a pre-installed program, the user ID, which is the identification information of the user who installed the application program into the image forming apparatus 14, may be included in the log information. Thereby, the user who installed the application program that performed a dangerous operation can be identified.

[0088] Also, in each of the above embodiments, the processor refers to a processor in a broad sense and includes a general-purpose processor (for example, CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and a dedicated processor (for example, GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0089] Also, the operation of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be achieved not only by one processor but also by a plurality of physically separated processors cooperating with each other. Also, the order of each operation of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments and may be changed as appropriate.

[0090] Also, in the above embodiment, the case where the information processing is realized by software configuration using a computer by executing a program has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the information processing may be realized by a hardware configuration or a combination of a hardware configuration and a software configuration.

[0091] In addition, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 14 described in the above embodiment is an example, and unnecessary parts may be deleted or new parts may be added within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0092] 10 Information processing system 14 Image forming apparatus 16 Server 30 Operation determination unit 32 Signature determination unit 34 Log recording unit 36 Transmission unit

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising a processor, wherein the processor acquires signature information indicating whether a signature is given to an application program installed in a device, and when the signature information indicates that no signature is given to the application program, transmits log information representing an operation log of the application program to an external device.

2. The processor acquires the signature information when the application program executes an access to predetermined data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The processor transmits the log information to an external device when the signature information indicates that a signature is given to the application program and the application program is not a pre-installed program. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The processor transmits the log information to an external device when the device is executing a predetermined process and the application program executes an access to predetermined data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The processor transmits the log information to an external device when the signature information indicates that a signature is given to the application program, a user is logged in to the device, and the application program executes an access to predetermined data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

6. The processor transmits the log information to an external device when the signature information indicates that a signature is given to the application program, operation information is input to the device from the logged-in user, and the application program executes an access to predetermined data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The device operates in either a power-saving mode or a normal mode, wherein the processor transmits the log information to an external device when the device is operating in the normal mode and the application program executes an access to predetermined data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

8. ​ The log information includes identification information of a user who operates the device or identification information of a user who installs the application program on the device. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7.

9. When the signature information indicates that the application program is signed, the processor does not transmit the log information to an external device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

10. Obtain signature information indicating whether or not a signature is given to an application program installed on a device. When the signature information indicates that the application program is not signed, transmit log information representing the operation log of the application program to an external device. An information processing program for causing a computer to execute processing.

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