Relay Device Access Control for Image Formation Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
In corporate networks with image formation apparatuses, ensuring secure access from external devices while allowing connectivity through the Internet is challenging due to the difficulty in distinguishing intended from unintended access requests, leading to potential unauthorized access.
Innovation Solution
An image processing system with a relay device that sets and manages access conditions for external devices, determining whether to permit or deny access by comparing access requests against predefined conditions, and notifying external devices of denied access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a relay device is introduced to enable Internet access for image formation apparatuses, then connectivity to external devices is improved, but security risk increases due to inability to distinguish authorized from unauthorized access requests
Solution Approach 1:
The relay device serves as an intermediary between external devices and image formation apparatuses. It receives access requests from external devices, determines whether to permit or deny access based on stored access conditions, and only transfers permitted requests to the image formation apparatus. This mediator approach enables Internet connectivity while preventing unauthorized access to internal devices.
Solution Approach 2:
Access conditions are registered in advance in the relay device before any access requests occur. These pre-established conditions include information about authorized external devices and their permitted access targets. When access requests arrive, the relay device compares them against these pre-registered conditions to determine whether to permit or deny access, eliminating the need for real-time authentication negotiations.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If access conditions are manually configured at the relay device, then security control is improved, but setup time and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The image formation apparatus automatically generates and transmits its own access condition information to the relay device. Instead of requiring manual configuration at the relay device, the system enables the image formation apparatus to self-configure by providing its identification information and access permissions, which the relay device then stores as access conditions. This self-service approach significantly reduces setup time and operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback mechanism where the image formation apparatus provides information about its access requirements to the relay device, and the relay device uses this feedback to automatically configure access conditions. This bidirectional information exchange eliminates manual configuration steps and ensures that access control settings accurately reflect the actual needs of the image formation apparatus.
Data Source
AI summary
An MFP sets an access condition for an external device with respect to a cloud box. The access condition is transmitted from the MFP to a relay device, and is registered in a memory of the relay device. When the relay device receives an access request made by the external device with respect to the MFP serving as an internal device, the relay device determines whether to permit or deny access to the MFP by comparing the access request with the access condition. When the access is permitted, the access request is transferred from the relay device to the MFP, whereas when the access is denied, the relay device notifies the external device of it.