JPH04184643A - Protecting method for electronic document - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reject the accesses given from the persons except a due approver by designating an optional secret protection area of an electronic document including the secret areas and also the information on the access approver assigned to the designated area, turning these designated information into a table, and referring to this table when an access is confirmed. CONSTITUTION:It is checked whether an area to be protected is included in a produced document 12 or not. If so, a security control program 8 is called with a function key of a keyboard 9 or a security item is picked up out of the guidance column of a display device 1 with a mouse 10. Then an area covering the head character 13 through the final character 14 is designated with the keyboard 9 or the mouse 10 in a specific area where the accesses of the outsiders are not approved. This designated range is set to a security information table 21. At the same time, the characters included in a designated area of a memory 6 are ciphered and rewritten into the different codes. Then a mask is applied to the designated area of the device 1. If the information on an approver who can have an access to the designated area is received, this information is set an approver column 20.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention is a method for protecting electronic documents, that is, a method for protecting any specified area in electronic documents that is effective in preventing illegal copying of electronic documents having confidential parts and preventing access from third parties. The present invention also relates to a method for protecting any designated area in an electronic document that is effective in preventing illegal copying of important confidential parts in electronic documents containing confidential parts and preventing access from third parties. [Prior Art] As a conventional method of this kind, for example, Hitachi Creative Workstation 2050. ○FIS/DESK
- As described in EV [2) (E-Tatsu Seisakusho, September 1989), document information is given attributes that allow or prohibit updates, references, etc., making it possible to protect the entire document. There is. According to this, illegal copying of document information and access from third parties can be prevented.

[Problem M to be solved by the invention] In the above-mentioned conventional technology, the security of the entire document is protected by separating the creator of the document from the user who uses it and determining access authority. is possible, but
It was not possible to arbitrarily designate a specific part, that is, the top part of an important secret, and make that part the only object of security protection. Furthermore, the above conventional technology does not take into consideration the issue of determining access authority by limiting users, for example, when obtaining an approval stamp (signature) from a specific person (such as a superior) on an important document. . Furthermore, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, when transmitting an electronic document containing a confidential part by means such as e-mail, it is necessary to include the above-mentioned protection function for the top part of important confidential information and the designation of access authority for a specific person. There was also no consideration given to the point of transmission. That is, the above-mentioned conventional technology does not take into consideration the fact that electronic documents having confidential parts are sent and received while maintaining the security status by methods such as e-mail. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to solve the above-mentioned problems in the conventional technology, and to make it possible to protect only specific parts of electronic documents that have confidential parts. The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for protecting electronic documents. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for protecting electronic documents that can limit users and determine access rights to electronic documents having confidential parts. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for protecting electronic documents that allows sensitive electronic documents to be sent and received while maintaining security. [Means for Solving the Problems] The above object of the present invention is to specify an arbitrary security area in an electronic document having a confidential portion, and to set information regarding a person authorized to access the security designated area.
encrypting and storing the security designated area;
This is achieved by an electronic document protection method characterized by preventing access to the security designated area by anyone other than the access authorized person. Another object of the present invention is to limit access authority to users with respect to electronic documents having confidential parts, and to attach the access authority information to electronic document information, thereby allowing users other than the access authority to access the electronic document. A method for protecting an electronic document, which is characterized by specifying an arbitrary security area in an electronic document having a confidential portion, and setting information regarding a person authorized to access the designated security area,
By encrypting the security designated area and transmitting/receiving the information about the access authorized person along with the electronic document information, it is possible to prevent access to the security designated area from anyone other than the access authorized person at the receiving source. This is achieved by a method for protecting electronic documents, which is characterized by preventing [Operation] In the first electronic document protection method according to the present invention, it is possible to specify an arbitrary security area in an electronic document having a confidential part, and information regarding a person authorized to access the security designated area can be specified. This information can be set as a table, and when there is an access, the above table is referred to, and if the access to the security designated area is from someone other than the access authorized person, the above security designation is set. This effectively denies access to the area. In the second electronic document protection method according to the present invention, access authority is determined by limiting users to electronic documents having confidential parts, and this access authority information is created in a table and attached to the electronic document information. This makes information about users and their access rights to the electronic document inseparable. In the third electronic document protection method according to the present invention, it is possible to specify an arbitrary security area in an electronic document having a confidential part, and information for a person authorized to access this security designated area is set. If possible, by encrypting the security designated area and transmitting/receiving the above-mentioned information regarding the access authorized person along with the electronic document information, it is possible to prevent access from anyone other than the access authorized person to the security designated area at the receiving source. It is designed to prevent this. [Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a document processing device that is an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a display device, 4 is a control device, 9 is a keyboard, and 10 is a mouse. The display device] is composed of a guidance device [2] and a document input section 3, and the control device 4 is a control device that controls the entire device. ll5, a memory 6 that serves as a storage location for document data and programs when processed on a workstation, etc., an e-mail program 7 that controls the sending and receiving of e-mails, and furthermore, a range of protected designated areas and approval for allowing access. The configuration includes a security control program 8 that controls processing related to protection of designated areas, such as encryption and masking of user information. Further, the keyboard 9 has the function of inputting characters and the cursor position, the mouse 10 has the function of moving the cursor on the desk and instructing the movement of the cursor on the screen, and the document storage medium 11 has the function of storing documents. It is something. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an important confidential part in the created document 12, and is an example in which parts that are not desired to be accessed by a third party are shown from a start point 13 to an end point 14. Furthermore, FIG. 4 is an example document (17) showing a situation where the above-mentioned portion (15 in FIG. 3) that is not desired to be accessed by a third party is protected and masked (16). FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of a security information table 21 for registering a designated area range 19 within a document and approver information 20 that authorizes access to that area, and is created at the end of the document. It is designed to be linked with documents. FIG. 6 shows security information input guidance for inputting information of an approver who is authorized to access a protected designated area within a document. FIG. 7 shows an example of the internal configuration of a medium for storing documents. As shown in the figure, the document storage medium has a medium management area 22. Directory area 23 and file area 24
The medium management area 22 is an area for managing the entire medium, such as the location and size of the directory area 23 and file area 24. The directory area 23 stores information such as document names, owned book names, and the location of the security information table 21 in the file area 2.
4, and the file area 24 is
It consists of a text section 25 that stores document data and an attribute storage glI 26 of a table that stores security information. FIG. 1 is a processing flowchart for realizing an arbitrary specified area protection method in this embodiment. The operation of this embodiment will be described below based on FIG. 1 and also using FIGS. 2 to 7. First, a document 12 as shown in FIG. 3 is created using the system device shown in FIG. 2 (step 700). Next, check whether there is an area to be protected in the created document (Step 701). 2 by clicking with the mouse lO (step 702). In step 703, a range from the first character 13 to the last character 14 of a specific area in the document that is confidential and cannot be accessed by third parties is specified using the keyboard 9 or the mouse 1O. As a result, the security control program 8 determines the starting point (x, . . .
xa), detect the final point (Xb+Xb) and set it in the security information table 21 (step 70
4) At the same time, the characters in the specified area in the memory 6 are encrypted and rewritten into a different code (step 705), and the specified area on the display device l is masked (step 70).
6). Next, in step 707, the security control program 8 displays the security information input guidance shown in FIG. 21 in the approver column 20 (step 708).This approver information is also set in the approver column 20 of step 7.
In 09, it is encrypted and rewritten into another code. If there are multiple designated areas, steps 702 to 709 described above are repeated. Figure 7 shows how the created document is stored on a flexible disk (F
D) and the format of the medium when stored in a document storage medium such as a built-in disk. In step 711, when the end of document specified area protection processing is input from the keyboard 9 or mouse 10, information for managing the entire document, such as document name, document owner name, and document size, is formatted as shown in FIG. directory area 2
3. The document is stored in the medium as the text portion 25 and the security information table 22 as the attribute storage portion 26, and the process ends. Note that at this time, the characters in the protected area described above are naturally stored on the medium as undecipherable characters that have been converted by encryption. Fig. 8 is a flowchart of document sending processing by e-mail, Fig. 9 is a flowchart of e-mail document reception processing and protected area display processing, and Fig. 1O is a flowchart of sending and receiving documents by e-mail. It is a processing outline diagram at the time. In Figure 1O, there are cases where the security control program 8 is present on the receiving side and cases where it is not, and cases where the security information added by the owner to the designated area and the information input by the user match and cases where they do not match. This shows the difference in display methods. First, the operation at the time of transmission will be explained based on FIG. When a document created as shown in FIG. 4 and for which document designated area protection processing has been completed is to be sent by e-mail, the e-mail program 7 is called (step 800), and the e-mail sending guidance 28 output by that program (see FIG. 10). ) according to document name 29. The e-mail program 7 causes the destination thread 30 to be input (step 801). The e-mail program 7 determines whether or not there is a protected area from the attributes of the document to be sent, and inputs the header part 42 and text part shown in FIG. A security attribute flag 47 is automatically added to the header section 42 of the transmission data 41 consisting of 43 (step 8).
02), Create transmission data Step 803), First
The data is transmitted to the other party's mailbox 34 via the connected host 32 shown in Figure O (step 804). Next, the operation when receiving a document will be explained based on FIG. The mail receiving side 33 specifies the name of the sent document (step 900).
The transmission data 41 is read into the memory 37 from
Step 900), since this receiving side has a security control program, steps 902 to 90
3, the security control program checks whether the security attribute flag 47 in the transmission data 41 is ON or OFF. If it is OFF, it is assumed that the document is not protected and the entire document is displayed (step 91).
1). Furthermore, if the security attribute flag 47 is ON,
The text part 43 in the transmission data 41 is divided into the document 48 and the security information table 49 in the memory (step 904), and the protected area obtained from the area information 19 of the security information table 49 is masked (see FIG. 4). 1
7) on the display device (step 90).
5) Next, the security control program outputs the user information input guidance 35 shown in FIG. 10, and causes the user to input user information such as a user ID in accordance with the guidance 35 (step 906). Here, if the approver information input by the user matches the information in the security information table specified by the owner (step 907), the security control program
The encrypted information is converted into a normal document, unmasked, and displayed on the display device (steps 908 and 909). At this time, the document data on the storage medium is
remains encrypted. Further, in step 906, if the approver information input by the user does not match the information in the security information table specified by the owner, the security control program outputs an error message (step 912) and performs a display operation. cancel. Also, due to an error in the direction of the e-mail, a document is sent to a device that does not have a security control program on the receiving side, and the recipient (38 in Figure 1O) is sent to the mailbox 39.
When attempting to read the specified area information into the memory 40 and display it, the designated area information is displayed on the display device as encrypted data (without being masked). Furthermore, the information in the security information table at the end of the document is also displayed because it is part of the text section, but this information is also indecipherable to the user (Step 9).
). According to the above embodiment, by encrypting a designated area within a document, it is possible to prevent leakage and protect the confidentiality of important document information when a document storage medium is stolen or when an e-mail is misdirected. This has the effect of strengthening confidentiality management, such as preventing illegal copying and access by third parties. Next, other embodiments of the present invention will be shown. 121i! l is the document name 50.5 required to protect the designated area within the document. Specified area range 51. Approver information 52 that authorizes access within the area and reference rights within the area;
Access authority information 53 that determines update rights, etc.! This shows a security information table 54 to be recorded. As mentioned above, this table is created at the end of the document, and when it is sent or received by e-mail or the like, it operates in the same way as the document. FIG. 13 shows approver information 52 that authorizes access to the above-mentioned protected designated area and access authority information 5 for the designated area.
This shows security information input guidance for inputting 3. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a process for adding access authority, such as whether it can be referenced or updated, to a specified area, and the operation of the access authority addition process will be described below based on this. First, a document is created using the system device shown in FIG. Next, enter the document name to which access authority will be added to the protection designated area of the created document (step 1401).
The document is read into memory (step 140).
2) When adding access authority (step +403
), the security control program is called up by using the function key of the keyboard 9 or clicking the guidance field 2 of the display device 1 with the mouse 10 (step 1404). Next, in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, the protection specification area is set in the security information table by specifying the first and last characters of the protection specification area within the sentence or book. Furthermore, the user outputs the security information input guidance shown in FIG. Input reference pole 59 or inaccessible 60 (step +406
), the security control program sets access authority information in the security information table 54 (
step 1407). If there are multiple areas to which access authority is to be added, steps 1404 to 1407 described above are repeated. FIG. 15 shows a flowchart of processing operations such as sending and receiving documents to which access authority has been added by e-mail, and referencing and updating specified areas based on the access authority addition status. The operation will be explained below. Note that the operation from the start (Document Expert Power) until the user inputs approver information according to the approver information input guidance is as described in Chapter 9.
Since it is the same as steps 901 to 906 in the figure, detailed explanation will be omitted. If the approver information input by the user and the approver information 52 in the security information table 54 match (
Step +502), update bit 61 in the security information table 54 described above. #Check whether the access bit 62° and the inaccessible bit 63 are 0NOFF (steps +503 and 1504). If the update bit 61 is ON, the encryption and masking within the specified area are canceled (step 1508), and reference and update within that area are enabled (step +509). If the update bit 61 is OFF and the reference bit 62 is ON, the encryption and masking within the specified area is canceled (step +506), and the information within that area is displayed (step 1507). However, in this case,
It is for display only and cannot be written to within that area. Further, when the update bit 61 and the reference bit 62 are OFF, that is, when the access prohibition bit in the security information table 54 is ON, the information in the designated area is displayed on the display device in a masked state, The specified area cannot be referenced or updated (step 15).
05. ). According to the above embodiment, by adding access authority to the protected designated area in the document, the protected designated area can be accessed.
Only authorized people can access it.1 For example, when you want to get an approval signature for an important document, or when you want to send a document by e-mail and ask for answers or opinions, you can limit the number of users. Moreover, it is possible to prevent illegal writing or other access to the area from a third party. It goes without saying that the above-mentioned embodiment shows an example of the present invention, and that the present invention is not limited thereto. [Effects of the Invention] As described above in detail, according to the present invention, there is provided a method for protecting an electronic document in which only a specific portion of an electronic document having a confidential portion can be protected, and 1! Method 9 of protecting electronic documents that allows access rights to be determined by limiting users to electronic documents that have confidential areas 9 Enables the sending and receiving of electronic documents that have confidential areas while maintaining the security status This method has the remarkable effect of realizing a method for protecting electronic documents.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a processing flowchart for realizing the specified area protection method in an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2cgJ is a diagram showing the configuration of the document processing device of the embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of the document processing device of the embodiment. A diagram showing an example, Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a document in a situation where parts that are not wanted to be accessed by third parties are protected,
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a security information table.
Figure 6 is a diagram showing security information input guidance, Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a medium for storing documents, and Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a medium for storing documents.
Figure 9 is a flowchart of document transmission processing by email, Figure 9 is a flowchart of email document reception processing and protected area display processing, Figure 10 is a process overview diagram for sending and receiving documents by email, and Figure 9 is a flowchart of document transmission processing by email. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of transmission data, FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a security information table in another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 13 is a diagram showing security information input guidance, and FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart of processing for adding access authority. FIG. 15 is a flowchart of processing for transmitting/receiving a document to which access authority has been added by e-mail, and processing operations such as referring to and updating a specified area. 1: Display device, 2: Guidance field, 3: Document input section, 4: Control device, 5: Control section, 6: Memo I Huff: E-mail program, 8: Security control program, 9. Keyboard, 1o: Mouse, 11: Document storage medium, 15: New patient designated area within document, 21 and 54; Security information table. ?・αSu Figure 3 Example of specifying range of designated area Figure 4 Example of protection and masking Figure 5 Security information table Figure 6 Security information input guidance Figure 7 Document storage media configuration diagram Figure 8 Email Document transmission processing flow--1) Figure 13 Security information input guidance

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. By specifying an arbitrary security area in an electronic document having a confidential portion and setting information regarding a person authorized to access the security designated area, the security designated area is encrypted. 1. A method for protecting an electronic document, the method comprising: storing the electronic document in a security designated area, and preventing anyone other than the authorized access person from accessing the security designated area. 2. The electronic document protection method according to claim 1, wherein information regarding the person who has approved access to the security designated area is attached to the electronic document information. 3. The electronic document protection method according to claim 1, wherein the security designated area is outputted while being masked when accessed by a person other than the access authorized person to the security designated area. 4. Access authority is determined by limiting users to electronic documents having confidential parts, and the access authority information is attached to the electronic document information, thereby preventing access to the electronic document by anyone other than the access authority. How to protect electronic documents. 5. By transmitting and receiving access authority information that is defined for a limited number of users, along with the electronic document information,
5. The electronic document protection method according to claim 4, further comprising preventing anyone other than the access authorized person from accessing the security designated area at the receiving source. 6. Specify any security area in the electronic document that has a confidential part, set information regarding the person who will approve access to the security designated area, encrypt the security designated area, and confirm the access approval. A method for protecting an electronic document, comprising: transmitting and receiving information related to a person attached to the electronic document information, thereby preventing anyone other than the person authorized to access the security designated area at the receiving source.