Abstract: An examination apparatus includes a receiving part, an acquisition part, and an examination part. The receiving part receives a public key certificate and identification information of the communication device from the device, which conduct the authentication process by using the public key encryption and sends the public key certificate used for the authentication process only to a specific communication partner. The acquisition part acquires information showing the public key certificate corresponding to the identification information, from a location other than the device based on the identification information. And, the examination part examines the device based on whether or not the public key certificate received by the receiving part is proper, by referring to the information acquired by the acquisition part.

Abstract: A certificate transmission apparatus includes a receiving part receiving a public key created by a sender device, an examination part examining the sender device of the public key, and a sending part sending a public key certificate including the public key received by the receiving part to the sender device of the public key.

Abstract: A method of transferring digital certificates for transferring, by means of a digital-certificate transferring apparatus, a digital certificate to a communications apparatus to be its communications counterpart is disclosed.

Abstract: A method of nullifying digital certificates for nullifying, by means of a communications apparatus, a digital certificate for use by a communications counterpart of the communications apparatus in authenticating includes the step of causing the communications apparatus to transfer to the communications counterpart, when determining based on a normal certificate being a valid digital certificate received from the communications counterpart or information received via a communications path based on the normal certificate that the normal certificate is to be nullified, a certificate for nullifying being a digital certificate for nullifying.

Abstract: A digital certificate transferring method for transferring a second digital certificate from a certificate transferring apparatus to a communication apparatus storing a first digital certificate which is different from the second digital certificate is provided. In the method, the certificate transferring apparatus transfers, to the communication apparatus via a safe communication channel established by using a first digital certificate, the second digital certificate and identifying information of a communication destination to which the communication apparatus accesses to request authentication using the second digital certificate.

Abstract: The communication devices are produced with a distinct digital certificate to later identify themselves during communication with a central or remote management apparatus. The identity of the communication device guarantees that appropriate information is provided to the central management apparatus from the communication device. For example, if charge information is uploaded from the communication terminal to the central management apparatus to generate an invoice or a charge, the information should be native or germane to the original device containing the communication device. To avoid the inaccurate information, the digital certificate is confirmed according to the digital certificate at the central management apparatus prior to uploading the information.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus that is capable of presenting a general overview of the contents of an original image from its corresponding scrambled image is disclosed. The image processing apparatus applies a discrete wavelet transform to a pixel value of each of at least one rectangular region into which image data are divided and hierarchically compresses the image data into a compressed code stream. Then the image processing apparatus performs a scrambling process on compressed code within the compressed code stream that is of a level corresponding to a high resolution image component and refrains from performing the scrambling process on compressed code other than that of the level corresponding to the high resolution image component.