Image Forming Apparatus One-Time Password Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image forming apparatuses face security risks due to unauthorized access through embedded web services, where users' IDs and passwords can be stolen or compromised, leading to potential hacking and data exposure.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a one-time password (OTP) generation system within the image forming apparatus, where the user requests and verifies an OTP to authenticate access, with conditions such as limited uses and expiration dates to enhance security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a user ID and password are used for authentication, then the ease of operation is improved, but the security is worsened due to potential theft and compromise
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by generating and storing a secret key in advance during device provisioning. This secret key is used later to generate one-time passwords without requiring the user to manually manage complex credentials, thus maintaining ease of operation while enhancing security through time-limited authentication tokens.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a secret key as an intermediary element between the user and the authentication system. This secret key serves as a shared secret between the image forming apparatus and the user's device, enabling the generation of one-time passwords that act as temporary credentials, thereby improving security without compromising user convenience.
2Reliability
If a security card is used for authentication, then the security is improved, but the ease of operation is worsened due to additional hardware requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential security function from the physical security card and implements it through a software-based one-time password system. By removing the requirement for physical hardware tokens and replacing them with digitally generated passwords, the system maintains security while significantly improving ease of operation and eliminating hardware dependency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If network access is enabled for embedded web services, then the adaptability is improved, but the security is worsened due to potential unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system employs dynamic one-time passwords that change with each authentication request and have limited validity periods. This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain open network access for embedded web services while ensuring that authentication credentials are time-sensitive and single-use, thereby preventing unauthorized access even if credentials are intercepted.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic authentication through one-time passwords that are valid only for a specific time window. This periodic validation mechanism allows continuous network accessibility for legitimate users while automatically expiring credentials, thus maintaining adaptability for embedded web services while enhancing security against unauthorized access.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of authenticating a user of an image forming apparatus is provided that includes receiving, at the image forming apparatus, a one-time password (OTP) generating request, generating, at the image forming apparatus, an OTP according to the OTP generating request, receiving, at the image forming apparatus, an authentication request, from the host apparatus, including the OTP, and when the OTP received from the host apparatus matches the OTP generated according to the OTP generating request and absent a condition, approving an access to the image forming apparatus.