Office security awareness now encompasses all information resources, including not only data and systems but also paper media. Canon views the entire office-information flow as a document cycle, the center of which is the imageRUNNER (iR) series of network digital MFPs, providing total security from the perspectives of both hardware and software.

Canon develops exhaustive security technologies for various stages of the document cycle by identifying information assets requiring protection and potential threats.

Comprehensive Security Technologies

Digital watermarking technology can provide copyright protection for photos, illustrations and other images in digital form, as well as DVD and other video data, and other document contents. The technology enables the name of the copyright owner, the date of creation and other relevant information to be encoded and embedded within the digital content.

Canon has also developed an error-correcting coding technology that utilizes mathematical processing to decode difficult-to-discern signals corrupted by noise.

This allows the recovery of embedded information, even when part of the content has been subjected to unauthorized deletion or modification, as well as the easy detection of unauthorized image use. Additionally, Canon has developed digital watermarking technology for text documents that maximizes the capabilities of optical-character-recognition technology. There is absolutely no difference in appearance between the original document and the document with embedded data, and the embedded data can be detected on paper should the document be printed out. The application of these technologies will make possible the realization of effective methods for protecting important documents.

Digital Watermarking (Example of image with embedded information)

Security screen pattern technology is a security technique that deters unauthorized copying through hidden text that appears when paper printout is copied, enabling the creation of original security screens without using special printer paper.

Security screen patterns are composed of a hidden text string (which remains when copied) and a pattern (which disappears when copied), with the hidden text rendered in large dots, and the pattern in small dots when printed. During copying, the small dots are not scanned and thus disappear, leaving behind only the hidden text printed in large dots.

For this technology, a process for effectively concealing boundaries between fields of large and small dots had to be developed. The process ensures uniform density, preventing the hidden text from standing out. The technology determines the individual imaging capabilities of the printer, enabling the easy setting of optimal densities by means of a density calibration function.

Principle Behind Security Screen Pattern Technology

In addition to enabling the creation of PDF* data from scanned images, Canon network digital MFPs also offer compatibility with the passwordbased security used by Adobe Acrobat.

This function allows users to assign a password when scanning to encrypt PDF and high-compression PDF data. Encryption is based on private-key cryptography, requiring the entry of a password to view the data. The security feature ensures that only those individuals or departments who have been notified of the password are provided access to the information, even if the data should be accidentally sent to the wrong destination. The system also incorporates features designed to prevent transmission errors before they occur, including a function that restricts the destinations to which data can be sent, supporting both enhanced operability and security.

Overview of PDF Encryption

Signed PDF is a technology designed to identify the source of a PDF file. During image scanning, the network MFP used to create the PDF file adds device-specific identification and a secret-key-generated device signature. Users can verify whether or not a document has been falsified by comparing this information. The system also allows users to attach personal identification and a secret-key user signature in place of the device signature.

Overview of Signed PDF

Timestamping is a technique used to indicate when an image PDF file was created by attaching time information, issued by an official timestamping authority, to the PDF file. This technology makes it possible for the receiver of the PDF file to verify the time stamp or inspect files for falsification.

Overview of Timestamp

* PDF (Portable Document Format), a document-exchange format developed by Adobe Systems Inc., is widely used to exchange documents and post them on the Internet.