AUTHENTICATION DEVICE AND AUTHENTICATION METHOD

To provide an authentication device capable of increasing security in authentication and improving convenience when giving authority to control an apparatus even to an unregistered user who is not registered as a regular user.SOLUTION: An authentication device includes: an authentication unit 213 that authenticates an authorized user; a short-distance communication unit 211 that acquires an advertising signal; a companion-of-authorized-user identification unit 214 that identifies, when the authorized user is authenticated by the authenticating unit 213, whether or not a companion-of-authorized-user is accompanied; a companion-of-authorized-user information identification unit 215 that identifies, when it is identified that there is the companion-of-authorized-user, information of the companion-of-authorized-user from the advertisement signal acquired by the short-range communication unit 211; and an authority granting unit 217 that uses the identified companion-of-authorized-user information to authorize the companion to use a target apparatus as well. The authentication unit 213 establishes authentication for the companion who is given authority by the authority granting unit 217 at time of subsequent authentication.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4 【課題】正規のユーザとして登録されていない未登録ユーザにも機器の制御の権限を与える場合に、認証におけるセキュリティ性をより高くしつつ、利便性も向上させることを可能にする。【解決手段】正規ユーザの認証を行う認証部２１３と、アドバタイズ信号を取得する近距離通信部２１１と、認証部２１３で正規ユーザの認証が成立した場合に、正規ユーザの同伴者の有無を特定する同伴者特定部２１４と、同伴者ありと特定した場合に、近距離通信部２１１で取得するアドバタイズ信号から同伴者の情報を特定する同伴情報特定部２１５と、特定した同伴者の情報を用いて、同伴者にも対象機器の使用の権限を与える権限付与部２１７とを備え、認証部２１３は、権限付与部２１７で権限が与えられた同伴者については、次回以降の認証時に、認証を成立させる。【選択図】図４