Patent ID: 8468367

Claim:
A storage apparatus comprising: a drive unit to which a recording medium that is an access target is loaded, and from which the recording medium is unloaded; and a processor configured to execute an operation including: confirming a validity of a data access from a request source apparatus based on authorization information that is received from the request source apparatus and authorization information that is created from an enciphering key included in enciphering key information received from an enciphering key management apparatus, according to an arbitrary algorithm; and making the data access with respect to the recording medium that is loaded into the drive unit using the enciphering key in response to an access request from the request source apparatus when the validity of the data access is confirmed, wherein the authorization information received from the request source apparatus includes a unique code that is created from the enciphering key according to the arbitrary algorithm when an authentication in the enciphering key management apparatus in response to an authentication request from the request source apparatus is successful, and wherein the enciphering key information received from the enciphering key management apparatus includes a user identifier of the request source apparatus, enciphering key specifying information that specifies the enciphering key, the authorization information, and the enciphering key, and the operation includes: causing the enciphering key information to be queued into an enciphering key chain; and receiving, from the request source apparatus user identification information including a user identifier, the authorization information, and apparatus information that specifies the request source apparatus, and to cause the user identification information to be queued into an authorization information chain.