Authentication method and system

Abstract

An authentication method to minimize a number of times a PIN of a smart card is input to solve a problem related to deterioration in security caused when storing a password on a memory of a personal computer and when the smart card is lost and authentication condition is stored on the smart card. In the application authentication of the present invention, an input password code is encrypted and identification information of a computer which has generated the encrypted password code and the encrypted password code are transmitted to a storage medium. When the storage medium is connected with the computer, the encrypted code is decoded upon determining that the identification information of the computer is stored in the storage medium.

1 . A computer-readable medium storing a program which, when executed by an information processing apparatus, causes the information processing apparatus to perform operations, comprising: 
 checking a connection with a storage medium;    requesting a password code for accessing information in the storage medium;    encrypting an input password code to generate an encrypted password code;    transmitting identification information of a computer which has generated the encrypted password code and corresponding encrypted password code to the storage medium; and    decoding the encrypted password code for confirming whether the identification information is stored in the storage medium when connection with the storage medium is confirmed and for decoding the corresponding encrypted password code upon confirming that the identification information is stored in the storage medium.    
   
   
       2 . A computer-readable medium storing a program according to the  claim 1 , where encrypting the password code is executed by the computer and includes setting an effective period for the encrypted password code.  
   
   
       3 . An authentication method using a password code for allowing access to information stored in a storage medium, comprising: 
 confirming a connection with the storage medium;    requesting the password code for accessing information in the storage medium;    encrypting an input password code to generate an encrypted password code;    transmitting identification information of a computer via which the encrypted password code is generated and corresponding encrypted password code to the storage medium; and    decoding for confirming whether the identification information is stored in the storage medium when the connection with the storage medium is confirmed and decoding the corresponding encrypted password code upon confirming that the identification information is stored.    
   
   
       4 . An authentication method to enable access to a storage medium connected with a computer, comprising: 
 encrypting an input password code input to access a first portion of the storage medium;    storing the encrypted password code in a second portion of the storage medium and storing a key for decoding the encrypted password code in the computer; and    authenticating access to the first portion of the storage medium by decoding the encrypted password code stored in the second portion of the storage medium using the key stored in the computer.    
   
   
       5 . The authentication method according to  claim 4 , wherein the key for decoding the encrypted password code is invalidated after a predetermined period of time.  
   
   
       6 . The authentication method according to  claim 4 , wherein the encrypted password code in the second portion of the storage medium is invalidated after a predetermined period of time.  
   
   
       7 . An authentication method to enable access to a storage medium connected with a computer, comprising: 
 receiving a password code input to access the storage medium and encrypting the password code;    storing the encrypted password code in a predetermined portion of the storage medium and storing a key for decoding the encrypted password code in the computer; and    authenticating access to another portion of the storage medium by decoding the encrypted password code stored in the predetermined portion of the storage medium using the key stored in the computer.    
   
   
       8 . An authentication method to enable access to a storage medium connected with a computer, comprising: 
 encrypting an authenticated password code to generate an encrypted password code;    correlating identification information of the computer using which the encrypted password code is generated and transmitting the identification information and the encrypted password code to the storage medium; and    authenticating access to the storage medium upon determining that the identification information of the computer is stored in the storage medium.    
   
   
       9 . An authentication method to enable access to a storage medium connected with a computer, comprising: 
 issuing a certificate having a public key corresponding to a password code and storing the certificate in the computer;    encrypting the password code sing the public key and storing the encrypted password code in a section of the storage medium accessible without authentication; and    authenticating an input password code by decoding the encrypted password code using the certificate.    
   
   
       10 . An authentication system for accessing a storage medium, comprising: 
 a storage reading device reading data stored in the storage medium;    an input device inputting a password code to access the storage medium; and    a computer encrypting the password code and transmitting the encrypted password code and identification information of the computer to the storage system, where the encrypted password code is decoded and access to the storage medium is authenticated upon determining that the identification information of the computer is stored in the storage medium.    
   
   
       11 . The authentication system according to  claim 10 , wherein the storage medium includes a portion accessible without inputting the password code.  
   
   
       12 . The authentication system according to  claim 10 , wherein a public key is used to encrypt the password code and the encrypted password code is stored in a portion of the storage medium accessible without inputting the password code and the public key is stored in the computer, and the access to the storage medium is authenticated when the encrypted password code in the storage medium is decoded using the public key.