WO2002095593A1

WO2002095593A1 - Electronic information protection system in communication terminal device

Info

Publication number: WO2002095593A1
Application number: PCT/JP2002/004997
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yutaka Yasukura
Original assignee: Yutaka Yasukura
Priority date: 2001-05-24
Filing date: 2002-05-23
Publication date: 2002-11-28
Also published as: JP2002351845A

Abstract

An electronic information protection system capable of ensuring a higher-safety user authentication in an electronic commerce using an information terminal device, characterized by using a communication terminal device that uses a detachable external storage device connected therewith, physically splitting targeted electronic information into two electronic information blocks by means of an electronically tallying means provided in the communication terminal device, and storing the first electronic information block into a communication terminal device body, and the second electronic information block into an external storage device.

Description

Specification

Electronic information protection system for communication terminal equipment

The present invention relates to a communication terminal device having a personal authentication function in a transaction and a function to prevent information leakage in the event of loss, and more particularly to an electronic information protection system that can be used for settlement via a portable telephone. Background art

It has become common to conduct transactions with financial institutions such as banks and various types of merchants via public information networks such as the public telephone network and the Internet. Transactions over a communication network are not conducted through interviews, so a means to authenticate that a user is one of the subscribers is important.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-3336345 states that, when trying to receive a service from a commercial provider, a sender authentication method using an account code and password obtains information by some other means. In view of the danger of plagiarism, there is disclosed a method of authenticating a sender with a higher security level by physically confirming and authenticating the information terminal device itself that has requested communication access. .

The disclosure method is based on the caller's telephone number of the actual telephone means used with the information terminal device, and one individual physically accesses the information terminal device for personal use, especially a portable information terminal device such as a PDA. It can greatly improve the security level of caller authentication when used exclusively.

However, since the disclosed method merely authenticates the portable information terminal device itself, it cannot prevent unauthorized use of the appropriate terminal device by others. For this reason, it cannot be applied to communication access with financial institutions, etc., which require particularly high reliability.

In addition, the portable information terminal device can store a lot of information such as address book, memo pad, authentication information, ID number, electronic money, medical information, and data equivalent to the official seal. As a result, if the terminal device is lost or stolen, confidential information will be leaked to others. Disclosure of the invention

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic information protection system capable of performing user authentication with a higher security-level in transactions via a digital information communication network. The purpose is to provide an electronic information protection system that prevents information leakage.

An electronic information protection system according to the present invention uses a communication terminal device which is connected to a detachable external storage device to exchange electronic information and has an internal storage device. The communication terminal device has an electronic tally means. The target electronic information is physically divided into two electronic information blocks by the electronic tally means, the first electronic information block is stored in the internal storage device, and the second electronic information block is stored in the external storage device. It is characterized by storing. Here, the electronic tally means means that one piece of electronic information is divided into two or more pieces and shared at two or more places, and when necessary, the divided pieces of electronic information are united into the original electronic information. The one that restores information. In particular, it is preferable that the divided electronic information is difficult to guess the content by itself.

According to the system of the present invention, the authentication information can be restored and the communication terminal itself can be authenticated only after the external storage device is set in the communication terminal device, so that the owner can transfer the communication terminal device and the external storage device. If managed separately, communication terminal equipment cannot be authenticated unless it is a valid contractor. Therefore, more secure caller authentication can be performed as compared with a caller authentication method using an account code and a passcode or a method of authenticating only by physically confirming the communication terminal device itself.

Also, for example, another person who has acquired the communication terminal device can see only one half of the tallyed electronic information, and cannot recognize it as meaningful information. Therefore, there is no need to worry about leakage of confidential information.

For example, utilizing the system of the present invention, a personal identification number provided by a financial institution or the like is physically divided, and one is stored in an internal storage device of a communication terminal device, and the other is stored in an external storage device. , Split and hold, and the first time an external storage device is If it is set in a communication terminal device and integrated and determined, it is possible to conduct transactions safely through a digital information communication network.

The electronic tally means divides the original electronic information into a plurality of electronic information elements, distributes the divided electronic information elements to the first electronic information block and the second electronic information block, and within each electronic information block. It is preferable to change the order of the electronic information element, generate restoration information that records the procedures of division and order change, and include all or one of the divided information in each electronic information block. Further, the electronic tally means restores the original electronic information by integrating the electronic information blocks based on the restored information.

The use of such electronic tally means makes it impossible to easily estimate the content of each of the divided electronic information despite simple operations, so that a communication information device having an internal storage device or an external storage device can be used. There is no need to worry about information leakage if one obtains one.

Further, it is preferable that the electronic tally means newly decides a method of dividing and allocating electronic information when the use of the communication terminal device is finished, and converts it into electronic tally.

As described above, by frequently changing the electronic tallying method, the shape of the half of the electronic information stored in the storage device changes, so that it is almost impossible to steal secret information even if it is intended by another person.

As the communication terminal device, an electronic computer or the like connected to the electronic information communication network can be used. In particular, a mobile information terminal device such as a mobile phone or a personal 'digital' assist (PDA) can be used.

In addition, any electronic information stored in the communication terminal can be converted into electronic tally and used for secure electronic payment, especially by storing authentication information separately. be able to.

The present invention further deposits the first electronic information block stored in the internal storage device with the information depository connected to the communication terminal device, acquires the first electronic information block deposited from the information depository as needed, and obtains the original electronic information block. It can be restored in the internal storage device of another communication device or the internal storage device of another communication terminal device. Due to the function of the electronic tallying method, an external information depository such as a database center It is possible to prevent the content of information from being inferred from the electronic information block.

In this way, by depositing the first electronic information block stored in the communication terminal with an external organization, it is possible to repair the communication terminal device such as a mobile phone, or to replace the phone with a new one after it has been damaged or replaced or lost. Since the original electronic information can be restored, there is no need to verify the identity again and reissue an authentication number. Also, the information stored in the communication terminal equipment is often stored and stored in a very large amount, and it is not easy to restore the equipment when it is newly installed.However, by depositing the information with an information depository, Various electronic information previously stored can be easily restored.

The second electronic information block may be deposited with the information depository that deposited the first electronic information block.

In this way, depositing both electronic information makes it easy to deal with lost or damaged external storage devices that can be restored. In addition, it is preferable that the user or the institution used by the user arbitrarily determine whether the electronic information is to be deposited with an external institution and which information is to be deposited at the time of the deposit. '

In addition, if electronic information blocks other than the first electronic information block can be deposited at another information depository connected to the communication terminal device, the information will not be collected at one place, thus improving security. I do.

In addition, the electronic information is divided into three or more electronic information blocks by electronic tally means, the first electronic information block is stored in the internal storage device, the second electronic information block is stored in the external storage device, and the third and subsequent electronic information blocks are stored. This electronic information block can be stored in another external storage device. The third and subsequent electronic information blocks may be stored in one or more information depository organizations.

It goes without saying that the greater the number of divided storages, the more secure the information.

Also, when electronic information is divided into electronic information blocks by the electronic tally means and stored at the same time as the electronic information block is automatically deposited at the information depository, the operator does not need to pay special attention. However, security of electronic information can always be ensured. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a communication terminal device to which an embodiment of an electronic information protection system according to the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the configuration of a communication terminal device main body, and FIG. 3 is an electronic tally in this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the electronic information protection system of the present invention. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The electronic information protection system according to the present embodiment is applied to a case where transactions are performed via an Internet communication network.

In the method of this embodiment, the bank issues an ID code individually to a mobile phone owned by a customer, divides the provided ID code into a telephone body and an external storage device, and This is a security method in which the transaction cannot be communicated with the bank unless the transaction is merged, so that the transaction is assumed to be by the customer. The communication terminal device used in the present embodiment is a mobile phone. As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile phone 1 includes a main body 10 and an external storage device 30. The external storage device 30 makes it possible to read and write a relatively large amount of electronic information safely using the data processing capability of the IC card.

The mobile phone body 10 has a display 11 for displaying the phone numbers of incoming and outgoing calls and character image data to be communicated, a keyboard 12 for inputting phone numbers, character information or operation instructions 12, a microphone 13 and a speed 1 4. Antenna 15 and card slot 16 for exchanging data with external storage device 30.

As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 2, a CPU 20, a ROM 21 for storing programs, a rewritable RAM 22 for storing electronic information, and a telephone, as shown in the block diagram of FIG. Unit 23, a card reader / writer 17 provided at the back of the card entry 16 for exchanging electronic information with an external storage IC card.

In accordance with the program stored in the CPU 2 C ^ S and the ROM 21, the internal circuit device is driven and controlled using the RAM 22 and the electronic information stored in the external storage device 30. The microphone 13, the speaker 14, and the antenna 15 are connected to the telephone unit 23. It performs communication control such as outgoing call, incoming call detection, transmission and reception.

The mobile phone 1 uses the electronic tally program stored in the R〇M 21 to divide the electronic information used for telephone operations or electronic commerce and distribute it to the telephone main body 10 and the IC card 30. Can be stored.

The part forming the electronic tally of the electronic tally program divides the original electronic information 41 into an arbitrary number of child information elements 42 as shown in FIG. The divided electronic information elements are divided into two blocks as appropriate, rearranged appropriately, and electronic information blocks 43, 44 are made so that the content of the information cannot be estimated as it is. The electronic information block formed in this way is called an electronic tally, and the procedure for forming the electronic tally is called electronic tallying.

The electronic information tallies A and B, which are the formed electronic information blocks 43 and 44, are stored separately in the RAM 22 of the mobile phone main body 10 and the memory of the external storage device (IC card) 30.

It is preferable that the division position of the electronic information is physically determined irrespective of the division of the content. This is because, for example, in the case of connecting pieces that are cut in bit units, it is difficult to grasp even local information contents.

In addition, the information on the position divided into the electronic information elements and the information on the procedure of distributing and rearranging the electronic information elements are attached as header information Ha and Hb of electronic tally A and B, respectively. In order to further improve security, the split position information and the distribution rearrangement information may also be divided into tally in the same procedure as when the original electronic information was allocated to the electronic information block, and distributed to each. .

In this embodiment, the bank authenticates the customer, and then sends the ID code to the mobile phone 1 that the customer intends to use. The telephone 1 receives the ID code and performs an electronic tallying process to form two electronic tallies A and B. One of the electronic tallies A is stored in the RAM 22 of the telephone main body 10, and the other is. The electronic tally B is transmitted to the IC card 30 via the card reader / writer 17 and stored therein.

The customer always removes and holds the IC card 30 from the mobile phone body 10 and inserts the IC card 30 into the card slot 16 when making a transaction with a bank, and the contents are transferred via the card reader / writer 17. And merge it with the contents of R AM 21, Operate telephone 1.

In accordance with the sub-program for restoring the electronic tally of the electronic tally program stored in the ROM 21, the mobile phone 1 uses the RAM 22 and the electronic tally A and B stored in the external storage device 30. To restore the ID code and send the restored ID code to the bank. The bank verifies the identity by comparing the stored ID code information with the received ID code, and if successful, opens a transaction account and accepts the transaction details.

The electronic information can be restored by dividing the electronic tallies A and B into electronic information Eleanon by the reverse procedure based on the information of the electronic tallying procedure included in the header information Ha and Hb and rearranging them in the original order. . When the information of the electronic tallying procedure is further converted into electronic tally to generate header information, the information of the electronic tallying procedure is restored, and then the original information is restored.

Using the mobile phone 1 described above, the provided ID code is physically divided and stored as an electronic tally which is extremely difficult to guess at the phone main unit 10 and the IC card 3◦. can do. Therefore, since the transaction is approved only after the customer inserts the IC card 30 stored in the telephone main body 10, the user cannot use the telephone unless he / she uses a genuine telephone and cannot use the telephone. You can authenticate yourself. Also, even if the phone body 10 or the IC card 30 is lost, the information cannot be presumed simply by acquiring one of them, so that the information can be safely protected.

Here, it is assumed that the ID code is provided by a bank or the like, but it goes without saying that the customer may decide and register the ID code. May be provided.

When the electronic information is used, it is restored to its original state in the phone, but after the transaction is completed, the restored electronic information is subjected to electronic tallying processing using parameters different from those before and a new one is created. The saved electronic tally can be stored separately in the RAM and IC card inside the phone.

Updating the electronic tally for each transaction in this way significantly improves security because previously intercepted electronic information is no longer available on the next opportunity. After generating the electronic tally, the restored electronic information is It is preferable to erase. This is because if the authentication information remains on the telephone body, a person other than the user can operate the telephone and conduct electronic commerce.

Although the mobile phone has been described in detail here, the system of this embodiment can be used for flexible disks in so-called PDAs, such as portable small-sized computers with communication functions, and for personal-use computers connected to a communication network. The present invention can be similarly applied to any device having an external storage device such as a disk or a CD disk or a storage device separated in the main body. The external storage device may be any device that can write and read information, and may be not only an electronic storage device but also a paper medium using a bar code or the like.

Authentication information, which forms the basis of credit in electronic commerce, is divided into two by electronic tallying, and one is stored in a storage device inside the main unit, and the other is stored in a removable external storage device or another storage device . When conducting electronic commerce, both electronic information is unified, restored, and transmitted.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic information protection system constructed using the above-mentioned communication terminal device such as a mobile phone.

The user's mobile phone 1 and personal computer 2 are connected to the communication network 3. The communication network 3 is connected to a first database center 15 and a second database center 6 in addition to a commerce institution 4 such as a bank or a shop for electronic commerce. Each of the mobile phone 1 and the computer 2 can insert and use an IC card or a flexible disk to fetch and use the electronic information stored in these external storage devices. The mobile phone 1 converts the ID code supplied to the user into an electronic tally, stores one electronic tally A1 in the main body, and stores the other electronic tally B1 in the IC card. The electronic computer 2 converts the ID code into an electronic tally, and records one electronic tally A 2 on the main body and the other electronic tally B 2 on the flexible disk.

When a user conducts electronic commerce, an external storage medium is set in the communication terminal device, the electronic tally is read, the ID code is restored by inverse conversion, and the electronic tally is transmitted to a commercial transaction organization 4 such as a bank. The commercial institution 4 confirms that the received ID code is appropriate, accepts the commercial transaction, and executes the commercial transaction such as transfer or debit in the name of the user. In the electronic information protection system of the present embodiment, two database centers 5 and 6 are installed. These database centers are depository institutions for electronic information equipped with large-scale storage devices.The first data center 5 receives tally Al and A2 distributed to telephones and computers, and the second database The center 6 receives and stores the electronic tallies B 1 and B 2 distributed to the external storage device.

When a user replaces a mobile phone or other device with a new one due to loss or malfunction, the user requests the first depositary institution 5 and the first depositary institution 5 authenticates the user and deposits the electronic tally A 1, A2 will be provided. Also, when replacing the external storage device of the user, request the second depositary institution 6 to provide the electronic tally B1, B2 deposited.

If the entire ID code is centralized in one place, it may be possible to restore it by some means and use it.Therefore, improving security by separating and depositing each electronic tally Let me. For subjects with relatively low security requirements, a single depository may handle both electronic tallys. Whether or not to deposit an electronic tally, and which electronic tally to deposit, may be determined by the user's option.

By having such a depositary institution, there is no need for direct intervention by banks and shops4 such as reissuing the ID code every time. Note that the ID code cannot be restored unless the user uses an external storage device that stores the electronic tally Bl, B2, so the secret information must be kept confidential even if the deposited information is provided by the depository. Information is safe.

Although the electronic information protection system of the above embodiment is described as protecting and restoring the ID code, the present invention is not limited to the ID code, but may be applied to a communication secret key, personal authentication data, and the like. The information may be private information of the user such as an address book. Since the amount of information to be stored in a mobile phone or the like increases as the phone is used, it is complicated to replace the past information on a new phone when replacing the phone. Using the system of this embodiment, the electronic information stored in the RAM of the telephone is converted into an electronic tally and deposited at the depository, so that the information can be collected safely and easily installed on a new telephone. can do. In addition, it is used for such a purpose. In some cases, electronic tally need to be generated for the latest electronic information.

Also, in order to reliably and easily handle the communication terminal device, one or both of the electronic tallies may be automatically sent to the information depository at the same time as the electronic tally operation is performed. When the operator selects and indicates electronic information to be tallyed and presses the tallying button, the control device of the communication terminal device generates an electronic tally of the electronic information and stores it in a predetermined storage device. The electronic tally will be sent automatically to the designated information depository.

In the above description, a system in which the electronic information is divided into two electronic tallies has been described.However, the electronic information is divided into three or more blocks, and the third and subsequent information blocks are stored in another storage area and another. If the information is stored in an external storage device or an information depository, the number of electronic information blocks that need to be collected increases, so that the electronic information can be more reliably protected. Industrial applicability

As described above in detail, according to the electronic information protection system of the present invention, more secure user authentication can be performed in electronic commerce using the information terminal device.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. A communication terminal device which is connected to a removable external storage device so that electronic information can be exchanged and has an internal storage device, comprising electronic tally means, wherein electronic information to be stored by the electronic tally means is physically stored. An electronic information protection system, wherein the electronic information protection system is divided into two electronic information blocks, and a first electronic information block is stored in the internal storage device and a second electronic information block is stored in the external storage device.

2. The electronic tally means divides the electronic information into a plurality of electronic information elements, distributes the divided electronic information elements to a first electronic information block and a second electronic information block, and within each electronic information block. The order of the electronic information element is changed, and further, restoration information recording the procedure of division and order change is generated, and all or one of the divided information is included in the electronic information block. Electronic information protection system according to paragraph 1.

3. The electronic information protection system according to claim 2, wherein the electronic tally means newly determines a method of dividing and distributing the electronic information when the use of the communication terminal device ends. .

4. Instead of dividing the electronic information into two by the electronic tally means, the electronic information is divided into three or more electronic information blocks, and the first electronic information block is stored in the internal storage device with the second electronic information block. In addition to storing in the external storage device, a third or later electronic information block is stored in another storage area of the internal storage device, another storage area of the external storage device, another external storage device or external information deposit. 4. The electronic information protection system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic information protection system is stored in an institution.

5. The electronic tally means restores the electronic information to be stored to the grouped divided electronic information blocks based on the restoration information. Electronic information protection system according to any of the preceding paragraphs.

6. The electronic information protection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the communication terminal device is a portable information terminal device.

7. The electronic information protection system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the electronic information to be stored is authentication information.

8. An information depository connected to the communication terminal device via a communication network is provided. Depositing a first electronic information block stored in the internal storage device into a depository, acquiring the first electronic information block from the information depository as necessary, and retrieving the first electronic information block from the internal storage device or another communication terminal device. 8. The electronic information protection system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic information protection system can be re-recorded in an internal storage device.

9. An electronic information block other than the first electronic information block can be deposited at the information depository or another information depository connected to the communication terminal device. Electronic information protection system according to paragraph 8.

10. The depositing of the electronic information block with the information depositing organization is automatically performed when the electronic information is divided into electronic information blocks by the electronic tallying means. Electronic information protection as described in paragraph 9 or