JP2005122561A - Application protect system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an application protect system for easily releasing protect, and for preventing information for releasing protect from being leaked. <P>SOLUTION: This application protect system is provided with information terminals 100 to 102 housed in the same network as that of a network device 130, application programs 120 to 122 which can operate the network device, protect which limits the execution of the application programs, a protect service program 140 which can transfer information through the network with the protect and a database 150 which stores the information of the information terminals and information terminal users 110 to 112. When the users execute the application programs, the protect transfers the information with the protect service program, and decides the validity/invalidity of the execution of the application programs based on the information of the database. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an application protection system.

  There are software-protected applications that run on a PC. In addition, there is a service program that can send and receive protection and information applied to the application in software, and can release the protection. The service program can operate on the same PC as the application, or can operate on another PC connected to the PC on which the application operates.

  There is also a user information database for applications managed by the service program. The software protection applied to the application reads various information of the PC on which the application operates and transmits the various information to the service program when the user starts the application. The service program analyzes the various information received from the PC, compares it with the application user information database, and transmits data for releasing the protection when the user is allowed to execute the application. The user can execute the application by removing the protection by the service program.

  If the user is registered in the user information database of the application, the protection is automatically canceled by the above procedure. A user who is not registered in the database cannot execute the application. Further, even when the application is electronically copied and executed on another PC, it is possible to prevent the application from being illegally executed. As described above, there is a protection technique for applications.

  On the other hand, there is a device that is connected to a network and can exchange data with a plurality of PCs. An application for operating the network device exists.

  In the prior art, when a service program for canceling protection is operated on another PC, there is a possibility that information for canceling protection may be leaked in the communication means connecting between them. In addition, it is necessary to prepare a dedicated PC for executing a service program for releasing protection.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an application protection system capable of easily releasing protection and avoiding leakage of information for releasing protection. And

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a network device, an information terminal accommodated in the same network as the network device, an application program that operates on the information terminal and can operate the network device, Software-based protection that restricts the execution of application programs; a protection service program that is incorporated in the network device and can exchange information via the network; and the protection service that is incorporated in the network device. And a database that stores information on the information terminal and the user managed by the program, and when the user executes the application program, the protect is the protect service program. And exchanging information with the ram, provide application protection system or the like, characterized by determining whether execution of the application program based on information in the database.

  According to the present invention, protection can be easily canceled and information for releasing protection can be prevented from leaking. In addition, the network device incorporates a service program for releasing software protection applied to the application, a user information database of the application managed by the service program, and a public key management database. It is possible to provide a system that does not force installation of a dedicated PC. Further, by storing a plurality of public keys in a network device, it is possible to provide a system that manages information on terminals and users that execute device operation applications.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an application protection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the following resources are arranged on the network.
The application protection system of the present embodiment operates on a network device 130 having a fax reception and scanner function, information terminals 100, 101, and 102 connected to the same network as the network device, and each information terminal. , Device operation applications (application programs) 120, 121, and 122 that can operate the network device 130; a protect service program 140 that can send and receive information via the protect and the network; the information terminals 100, 101, and 102, and users thereof It has a user information database (150) that stores information of 110, 111, and 112, and a public key database (160).

  Each user 110, 111, 112 executes device operation applications 120, 121, 122 from each information terminal. This device operation application is protected by software. The network device 130 incorporates a protect service program 140, a user information database 150 managed by the protect service program 140, and a public key database 160 managed by the protect service program 140.

  The device operation applications 120, 121, and 122 can exchange information with the network device 130 via the network, and can operate the device 130. The software protection applied to the device operation application can be exchanged with the protection service program 140 via the network. When the user executes the device operation application 120, 121, 122 from the information terminals 100, 101, 102, first, the protection applied to the device operation application is inquired of the protect service program 140 as to whether it can be executed. .

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a mechanism of key exchange performed between software protection and the protection service program 140 in the application protection system of the present embodiment.
In software protection, the public key 201 and the secret key 202 are generated when the user first activates the device operation application. The public key 201 is data that serves as a key for encrypting information received by the device operation application. The secret key 202 is data that serves as a key for decrypting information encrypted by the public key 201.
The public key 201 generated by software protection is transmitted to the protection service program 140 and stored in the public key database 160.

  The protect service program 140 transmits the public key 203 to the device operation application. The public key 203 is data serving as a key for encrypting information received by the protect service program 140. In addition, the protect service program 140 generates and stores a secret key 204. The secret key 204 is data serving as a key for decrypting information encrypted by the public key 203.

  Thereafter, the user information transmitted from the device operation application to the protect service program 140 is encrypted with the public key 203 and decrypted with the secret key 204. Further, the protection release key transmitted from the protection service program 140 to the device operation application is encrypted by the public key 201 and decrypted by the secret key 202.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a basic process when a device operation application is executed in the application protection system of this embodiment.
The following processing is started when the user executes the device operation application on the information terminal.

  First, in step S100, it is determined whether or not the network device 130 in which the protect service program 140 is incorporated exists on the network. As a result of this determination, if it is determined that the network device 130 exists on the network, the process proceeds to step S101. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S100 that the network device 130 does not exist on the network, the process jumps to step S110.

  Subsequently, in step S101, information such as the host name of the information terminal, the IP address, the MAC address, and the login name of the user is collected by software protection applied to the device operation application. In step S102, the collected information is encrypted with the public key 203 by software protection applied to the device operation application. Subsequently, in step S103, the encrypted information is transmitted to the protect service program 140 incorporated in the network device 130 by software protection applied to the device operation application, and an inquiry is made as to whether or not the device operation application can be executed.

  Subsequently, in step S104, the protected service program 140 decrypts the encrypted information with the secret key 204. In step S105, the protect service program 140 checks the decrypted information against the user information database 150.

  In step S106, the protect service program 140 determines whether the device operation application can be executed. As a result of this determination, if it is determined that the device operation application can be executed, the process proceeds to step S107. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S106 that the device operation application cannot be executed, the process proceeds to step S112.

  In step S107, the protect service program 140 encrypts the software-protection release key applied to the device operation application with the public key 201. In step S108, the protection service program 140 transmits the release key encrypted for software protection applied to the device operation application.

  Subsequently, in step S109, due to software protection applied to the device operation application, the release key transmitted from the protection service program 140 is decrypted with the private key 202, and execution of the application is started.

  If it is determined in step S106 that the device operation application cannot be executed, the process proceeds to step S112, and the protect service program 140 performs software protection applied to the device operation application. The notification that does not permit the execution of the application is encrypted with the public key 201. In step S112, the protect service program 140 transmits the encrypted notification to the software protect applied to the device operation application.

  In step S114, the notification transmitted from the protection service program 140 is decrypted with the private key 202 by software protection applied to the device operation application, and a message indicating that the application cannot be executed is displayed as a message. Subsequently, in step S115, the application start process is terminated due to software protection applied to the device operation application.

  If it is determined in step S100 that the network device 130 does not exist on the network, the process proceeds to step S110, where the network device 130 is found by software protection applied to the device operation application. Display that there is no message. Subsequently, in step S111, the application start processing is terminated due to software protection applied to the device operation application.

It is a schematic block diagram of the application protection system in embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the mechanism of the key exchange performed between software protection and a protection service program in the application protection system of this embodiment. It is the flowchart which showed the basic process at the time of executing a device operation application in the application protection system of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 to 102 Information terminal 110 to 112 User 120 to 122 Device operation application (application program)
130 Network Device 140 Protect Service Program 150 User Information Database 160 Public Key Database

Claims (2)

A network device;
An information terminal accommodated in the same network as the network device;
An application program that operates on the information terminal and can operate the network device;
Software-based protection that restricts execution of the application program;
A protection service program incorporated in the network device and capable of transferring information via the protection and the network;
A database for storing information of the information terminal and its user, which is incorporated in the network device and managed by the protect service program,
When the user executes the application program, the protect exchanges information with the protect service program, and determines whether or not the application program can be executed based on the information in the database. Application protection system. Encryption key information generating means for generating encryption key information for the protect and the network device to encrypt data;
Decryption key information generating means for generating decryption key information for decrypting data encrypted using the encryption key information,
The network device has a database for storing the encryption key information, and information exchanged between the protect and the protect service program is encrypted by the encryption key information, and by the decryption key information 2. The application protection system according to claim 1, wherein the application protection system is decrypted.

Images