JP2009123163A - Information processing apparatus and logon method - Google Patents

Abstract

In an information processing apparatus operated with a setting for automatically logging on to a general user account with limited functions, it is possible to log on to an account with administrator authority in a secure manner and perform software maintenance and the like.
Logon information having administrator authority is stored in an external authentication device having tamper resistance, and the external authentication device is connected during logon to a user account so that a monitoring process can log on in the external authentication device. The OS logon control unit controls to read the information, forcibly log off from the logged-on user account, and log on again to an account with administrator authority.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a logon method, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus and a logon method that operate on an OS (Operating System).

  An information processing apparatus used for business use in a company or the like has an operation method in which a general user cannot change software in a terminal or change OS settings due to security and maintainability problems. Some functions may be restricted. In this case, a user account with limited functions is prepared as a logon account for the OS, and a general user uses only this user account. When the information processing apparatus is turned on, the user account is automatically logged on. If the business screen is displayed, it is possible to make it easy to use.

  In addition, when it is desired to incorporate a unique authentication system such as biometric authentication into the information processing apparatus, there are methods such as replacing the logon authentication software of the OS or adding an authentication add-on program to the OS. These methods require special knowledge about the OS in order to replace software in the logon authentication portion and add an authentication add-on program. In addition, such an OS change affects the entire system of the information processing apparatus, and thus requires a lot of cost and time for development. In order to solve this problem, the same processing can be performed by making the logon to the OS automatic logon and performing biometric authentication after logon, and biometric authentication is realized by application level software. It is possible to carry out development at a relatively low cost in a short period of time.

In recent years, so-called thin client systems have attracted attention as countermeasures against information leakage, which has become a social problem, and as a conventional technique related to thin client systems, for example, a technique described in Patent Document 1 is known. Yes. This thin client system according to the prior art uses a storage device with a built-in tamper resistant device to construct a secure remote access system that allows unspecified clients to perform business operations. The market demands such a convenient and high security performance.
JP 2007-58869 A

  However, the above-mentioned technology for performing automatic logon as OS logon logs on to an account with administrator authority for the purpose of maintaining software in the terminal, which is an information processing device used for business. When you need to do this, you must log off from the user account, enter the administrator's account name and password, and then log on by yourself. There arises a problem that it may cause a security problem.

  In addition, in the above-described conventional thin client system, if the information processing apparatus is to be operated by automatic logon as described above in order to further reduce convenience, development cost, and development period, software maintenance is required. Sometimes it is necessary to ensure security.

  In view of the above-described points, the object of the present invention is to automatically manage an account with administrator authority while ensuring security when operating the information processing apparatus with the OS logon set to automatic logon. An object of the present invention is to provide a method of logging on to an information processing apparatus capable of performing logon and performing maintenance and the like of the information processing apparatus and another account having administrator authority.

  According to the present invention, the object is an information processing apparatus operating on an OS. The OS includes a logon control unit and a first storage unit that stores logon setting information. The logon control unit includes: Means for monitoring connection of an external authentication device having second storage means, means for forcibly logging off an account being logged on, means for storing the logon control information in the first storage means, When the information processing apparatus is powered on, based on the first logon setting information stored in the first storage means, log on to the first account of the first logon setting information, When it is detected that the external authentication device is connected, the second logon setting information in the second storage means in the external authentication device is read, and the second logon setting information is read into the first storage means. After storing the log-on control information, the first account is forcibly logged off, it is achieved by automatically log into the second account.

  According to the present invention, even when the information processing apparatus is set to automatically log on to a user account, it is possible to automatically log on to an account with administrator authority safely, and high security is achieved. Even when required, a system using automatic logon can be constructed.

  Embodiments of an information processing apparatus and a logon method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a network system in which an information processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied is used. The illustrated system is in the form of a general syncline system, and is configured by connecting a server 100 and a client 105 as an information processing apparatus represented by a PC via a network 103. Although FIG. 1 shows one server and one client, a plurality of servers and clients may be provided.

  In FIG. 1, a client 105 includes a CPU 106, a memory 107, and a storage 108, and is connected to a display unit 104 and a user interface unit 109 as an input device such as a keyboard and a pointing device. The server 100 includes a CPU 101, a memory 102, and a storage 110.

  The client 105 has a function of remotely operating the server 100. This function is realized by transferring the screen data expanded in the memory 102 in the server 100 to the memory 107 in the client 105 via the network 103 and displaying the screen data on the display unit 104 of the client 105. Has been. The user operates the user interface unit 109 such as a keyboard and a pointing device while using the display unit 104 to use the OS stored in the storage 110 built in the server 100. Data created by the user is stored in the storage 110 in the server 100, and no data is stored in the storage 108 in the client 105.

  For this reason, in the system described above, if the server 100 is strictly managed in the security area, even if the information processing apparatus as the client 105 is stolen or lost in the office or away from home, Since no data is stored in the storage 108, there is no risk of information leakage.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the client 105. The client 105 includes a CPU 200 (corresponding to the CPU 106 in FIG. 1), a bus / memory control unit 201, a memory 202 (corresponding to the memory 107 in FIG. 1), a display control unit 203, a display screen 204, a LAN control unit 205, and a storage control unit. 207, a compact flash (registered trademark) memory 208 (corresponding to the storage 108 in FIG. 1), a USB control unit 209, an input device control unit 211, a keyboard 212, and a pointing device 213, and a LAN connector 206 as an external connector. And a USB connector 210. The external authentication device 214 is possessed by an administrator, and is configured to have tamper-resistant performance so that a general user cannot easily view or change the contents, and includes a logon account and information stored therein. The password is kept secret. The external authentication device 214 includes a USB adapter and is connected to the USB connector 210 for use. The compact flash memory 208 stores software necessary for the client 105.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing software stored in the compact flash memory 208. The software includes a device driver 306, an operating system (OS) 304, and an application 300. The application 300 includes a remote operation program 301 for connecting to the server 100 and performing remote operation, a connection launcher 302 for managing the connection destination and selecting a connection destination server when there are a plurality of servers, and user authentication. Authentication software 303 is included. The OS 304 is provided with a logon control unit 305 that controls logon to an account as a part of the OS function.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the external authentication device 214. The external authentication device 214 includes an IC chip 401 and a USB adapter 404, and data in the IC chip 401 is transmitted and received via a USB interface by the USB adapter 404. The IC chip 401 stores information on a logon account name 402 and a logon password 403.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the OS setting storage unit provided in the OS of the client. Next, the logon control unit 305 shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The logon control unit 305 has a function of authenticating a user and logging on to the account of the authenticated user. A standard method for user authentication is to input an account name and password from the keyboard 212 on the authentication screen. The OS 304 is provided with an OS setting storage unit 500 as shown in FIG. 5, and has a logon setting 502 in the system setting 501 in the OS 304. The logon setting 502 controls the behavior at logon. It is possible. The logon setting 502 includes an auto logon control flag 503, a re-logon control flag 504, a logon account name 505, and a logon password 506.

  In the above description, the auto-logon control flag 503 is a flag that operates to automatically log on to an account without displaying an authentication screen immediately after the OS is started. When the flag is on, the logon account name Using the information of 505 and the logon password 506, an operation of automatically logging on to the account of the logon account name 505 is performed.

  The re-logon control flag 504 is a flag that causes the logon process to be performed again without displaying the authentication screen when logging off from the account during logon. The logon account name is determined based on the information of the logon account name 505 and the logon password 506. Enable to log on to 505 account again. Note that the logon control unit having such settings is generally realized as an OS function. In addition, when a unique logon authentication such as biometric authentication is incorporated in the OS, it can be realized by implementing a similar logon control function.

  When the client 105 is started, the above-described auto logon control flag 503 is set to ON and the re-logon control flag 504 is set to OFF. The logon account name 505 and the logon password 506 are respectively set to general user accounts. Corresponding ones are set, and in the example described, for example, “USER” and “PASSWORD” are assumed, respectively.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation in the client after the client is powered on. This will be described next. The power-on of the client may be performed by a general user, or may be performed by a system administrator who possesses the external authentication device 214 for maintenance or the like. When the system administrator powers on, the external authentication device 214 Is connected to the client. Further, the processing here is executed by a logon control unit in the OS.

(1) When the client is powered on, the logon control unit 305 in the OS sets the logon account name 505 to “USER” which is the startup setting because the auto logon control flag 503 is turned on by the startup setting. ”And“ PASSWORD ”, which is the startup setting of the logon password 506, automatically logs on to an account whose account name is“ USER ”(step S601).

(2) Next, the authentication software 303 is automatically activated and an authentication screen is displayed. While the authentication screen is displayed, it is checked whether or not the external authentication device 214 is connected by the monitoring process of the logon control unit (steps S602 and S603).

(3) If the external authentication device 214 is not connected in the check in step S603, authentication is started, and whether or not a logon account name and a logon password are input from a general user is checked. When it cannot start, it returns to the process from step S603 and continues a process (step S604).

(4) In the check in step S604, there is an input of a logon account name and a logon password from a general user, and when the authentication is started, the user is authenticated by the authentication software (step S605).

(5) When the user authentication in step S605 is completed, the connection launcher 302 is activated, and the remote operation program 301 is activated. As a result, the connection between the server and the client is established, and the user can perform operations by remotely operating the server from the client (steps S606 to S608).

(6) When it is detected in the check in step S603 that the external authentication device 214 is connected while the authentication screen is displayed, the monitoring process of the logon control unit performs the logon account in the external authentication device 214. The name 402 and the logon password 403 are read (step S609).

(7) The logon account name 505 and the logon password 506 of the logon setting 502 in the OS setting storage unit 500 are set by reading them, and the re-logon control flag 504 is set ON. At this time, the monitoring process of the logon control unit temporarily holds the account name and password of the general user stored in the logon account name 505 of the logon setting 502 and the logon password 506 at the time of startup (step S1). S610).

(8) Next, the monitoring process of the logon control unit executes logoff from the OS of the general user who has logged on in the process of step 601. When logging off, the OS logs on again using the logon account name 505 and the logon password 506 based on the setting that the re-logon control flag 504 of the logon control unit 305 is turned on. Logon in this case is performed for the logon account name stored in the external authentication device 214 (steps S611 and S612).

(9) When the logon in step 612 is performed, the setting restoration process of the logon control unit that restores the logon setting 502 to the state at the time of activation is automatically activated. In this setting restoration process, the re-logon control flag 504 is turned off, and the logon account name 505 and the logon password 506 are returned to the state at the time of activation of “USER” and “PASSWORD”, respectively (step S613).

(10) Thereafter, the client can operate in the designated account mode, here, the logon account mode in the external authentication device 214. As a result, a system administrator or the like who activates the client by connecting the external authentication device 214 to the USB connector 210 of the client can perform maintenance of the information processing apparatus that is the client (step S614).

  In the above description, for example, the account name with administrator authority is “ADMIN”, the password is “PASSASSMIN”, the logon account name 402 of the external authentication device 214 is stored as “ADMIN”, and the logon password 403 is stored as “PASSSASMIN”. Then, the administrator or the like can log on to the account “ADMIN” and operate the client. If the account for software update is “UPDATE”, the password is “PASSSUP”, the logon account name 402 of the external authentication device 214 is stored as “UPDATE”, and the logon password 403 is stored as “PASSSUP”, the account “UPDATE” is stored. It is possible to automatically update the software of the system by a software update program that is automatically started after logging on.

  In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the present invention has been described as being applied to a client in a thin client system. However, the present invention can also be applied to a client in a normal client server system, The present invention can be applied to any type of system as long as the logon control unit of the OS can perform the control as described above from the program. Further, logon to the OS general user account may be authentication by manual input of an account name and a password instead of auto logon. The gist of the present invention is to enable re-logon to another account automatically by connecting an external authentication device having tamper-resistant performance during logon to a general user account.

  It is effective for improving convenience and shortening development costs in systems that require high security, such as syncline and business terminals.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the network system with which the information processing apparatus to which this invention is applied is utilized. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of a client. It is a figure which shows the software stored in the compact flash memory. It is a figure which shows the outline of a structure of an external authentication device. It is a figure which shows the structure of the OS setting memory | storage part provided in OS of a client. It is a flowchart explaining the processing operation in the client after the client is powered on.

Explanation of symbols

100 server 101, 106, 200 CPU
102, 107, 202 Memory 103 Network 104 Display unit 105 Client 108, 110 Storage 109 User interface unit 201 Bus / memory control unit 203 Display control unit 204 Display screen 205 LAN control unit 206 LAN connector 207 Storage control unit 208 Compact flash memory 209 USB control unit 210 USB connector 211 Input device control unit 212 Keyboard 213 Pointing device 214 External authentication device

Claims (7)

In an information processing apparatus operating on an OS,
The OS has logon control means and first storage means for storing logon setting information,
The logon control means includes
Means for monitoring connection of an external authentication device having second storage means, means for forcibly logging off an account being logged on, means for storing the logon control information in the first storage means,
When the information processing apparatus is powered on, based on the first logon setting information stored in the first storage means, log on to the first account of the first logon setting information,
When it is detected that the external authentication device is connected, the second logon setting information in the second storage means in the external authentication device is read, and the second logon control information is stored in the first storage means. After storing, the first account is forcibly logged off and automatically logged on to the second account.   2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a second logon account name and a second password are stored in the second storage unit as the second logon setting information.   3. The account name and password of an account with administrator authority are stored as the second logon account name and the second password stored in the second storage means. The information processing apparatus described.   3. The account name and password of a software update account are stored as the second logon account name and the second password stored in the second storage unit, respectively. Information processing device.   2. The information according to claim 1, wherein the first storage means stores a first logon account name and a first password for a general user as the first logon setting information. Processing equipment.   The external authentication device has tamper-resistant performance so that a general user cannot easily view or change the contents, and the second logon account and the password stored in the second storage means are concealed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: In a method for logging on to an information processing apparatus operating on an OS,
The OS has logon control means and first storage means for storing logon setting information,
The logon control means includes
Means for monitoring connection of an external authentication device having second storage means, means for forcibly logging off an account being logged on, means for storing the logon control information in the first storage means,
When the information processing apparatus is powered on, based on the first logon setting information stored in the first storage means, log on to the first account of the first logon setting information,
When it is detected that the external authentication device is connected, the second logon setting information in the second storage means in the external authentication device is read, and the second logon control information is stored in the first storage means. A log-on method comprising: after storing, forcibly logging off a first account and automatically logging on to the second account.

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