Mobile Terminal Authentication for Image Forming Maintenance Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatus authentication systems face challenges in ensuring secure and individualized authentication for service engineers, particularly when external network connection is not feasible, leading to risks of unauthorized access and impersonation.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a cloud-based authentication server to authenticate service engineers through a company-owned mobile terminal, which transmits authentication success information to the image forming apparatus, ensuring secure and traceable access without requiring local network connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If authentication information is stored in the image forming apparatus, then service engineers can perform maintenance authentication, but security risk increases due to potential unauthorized access and impersonation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the authentication information storage function from the image forming apparatus and relocates it to a secure external server. The image forming apparatus only stores hashed authentication data locally for verification, while the actual authentication credentials are managed externally, preventing unauthorized access to the device itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an authentication server as an intermediary between service engineers and the image forming apparatus. This server mediates the authentication process by verifying credentials and communicating authentication results to the apparatus, creating a security layer that prevents direct access to sensitive authentication data.
2Ease of operation
If a fixed password is used for maintenance access, then service engineers can easily log in, but security decreases due to password sharing and potential leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the authentication process into individual user credentials rather than a single shared password. Each service engineer has their own unique authentication information stored in a database on the authentication server, allowing individual identification and accountability while maintaining login convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the authentication parameter from a single shared password to individualized user credentials with unique identifiers. This transformation maintains ease of login while significantly improving security by enabling traceability of authentication events to specific individuals.
3Reliability
If external authentication server is used, then authentication security is improved, but device complexity increases due to network connection requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by storing hashed authentication data locally in the image forming apparatus before external verification is needed. This pre-stored data enables the device to prepare for authentication without requiring constant network connectivity, reducing the operational complexity of network connections while maintaining security.
4Adaptability or versatility
If authentication code is generated on the image forming apparatus, then local authentication is possible, but impersonation risk increases if the code is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the authentication code generation function from the image forming apparatus and relocates it to the authentication server. The apparatus only performs local verification of hashed credentials rather than generating active authentication codes, eliminating the impersonation risk associated with storing or generating reversible authentication data locally.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing an authentication program for causing, in order to perform authentication for using a predetermined function of an image forming apparatus, a computer of a terminal device to: access an authentication server to request user authentication; receive success information indicating that the user authentication is successful from the authentication server; and transmit predetermined information indicating that the user authentication to authenticate a user is successful to the image forming apparatus when receiving the success information.