electronics

Article
Design of High-Security USB Flash Drives Based on
Chaos Authentication
Teh-Lu Liao 1 , Pei-Yen Wan 1 , Pin-Cheng Chien 1 , Yi-Chieh Liao 2 , Liang-Kai Wang 3 and
Jun-Juh Yan 4, *
1 Department of Engineering Science, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan;
tlliao@mail.ncku.edu.tw (T.-L.L.); s16637113@stu.edu.tw (P.-Y.W.); s12115125@stu.edu.tw (P.-C.C.)
2 Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333,
Taiwan; liao1230ho123@gmail.com
3 Department of Electrical Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Yunlin 640,
Taiwan; m10512023@yuntech.edu.tw
4 Department of Computer and Communication, Shu-Te University, Kaohsiung 824, Taiwan
* Corresponding Author: jjyan@stu.edu.tw; Tel: +886-7-6158000 (ext. 4806)




Received: 13 May 2018; Accepted: 24 May 2018; Published: 26 May 2018


Abstract: This paper aims to propose a novel design of high-security USB flash drives with
the chaos authentication. A chaos authentication approach with the non-linear encryption and
decryption function design is newly proposed and realized based on the controller design of chaos
synchronization. To complete the design of high-security USB flash drives, first, we introduce
six parameters into the original Henon map to adjust and obtain richer chaotic state responses.
Then a discrete sliding mode scheme is proposed to solve the synchronization problem of discrete
hyperchaotic Henon maps. The proposed sliding mode controller can ensure the synchronization of
the master-slave Henon maps. The selection of the switching surface and the existence of the sliding
motion are also addressed. Finally, the obtained results are applied to design a new high-security USB
flash drive with chaos authentication. We built discrete hyperchaotic Henon maps in the smartphone
(master) and microcontroller (slave), respectively. The Bluetooth module is used to communicate
between the master and the slave to achieve chaos synchronization such that the same random and
dynamical chaos signal can be simultaneously obtained at both the USB flash drive and smartphone,
and pass the chaos authentication. When users need to access data in the flash drive, they can easily
enable the encryption APP in the smartphone (master) for chaos authentication. After completing the
chaos synchronization and authentication, the ARM-based microcontroller allows the computer to
access the data in the high-security USB flash drive.

Keywords: chaos synchronization; Henon map; discrete sliding mode control; high-security USB
flash drive; chaos authentication

1. Introduction
As USB flash drive development has matured, it has become the popular device for data file
storage. Because USB flash drives are small and easy to carry, users can enjoy greater mobility.
However, the risk of information security has also risen relatively. It is well known, from the
perspective of information security, that the principle of mutual exclusivity between safety and
convenience is often mentioned; the more convenient, the more insecure, and the more secure,
the more inconvenient. As a result, easy-to-use products like USB flash drives must be classified
as high-security risk products and many businesses are also aware that USB flash drives are the
culprit for data breaches. Therefore, many vendors take advantage of this opportunity and launch

Electronics 2018, 7, 82; doi:10.3390/electronics7060082 www.mdpi.com/journal/electronics

Electronics 2018, 7, 82 2 of 9

their encrypted USB flash drives. From the current market, the common encryption USB flash drives
can be classified as software-based and hardware-based encryption. For software-based encryption,
there exists some disadvantages including the inconvenience of installing specified encryption software
and poor performance compared with hardware encryption products. Configuration complexity and
the time needed to set up the software are also disadvantages [1]. For hardware-based encrypted USB
flash drives, it is generally implemented with a high-price hardware security module responsible for
data encryption. Therefore, hardware-based encrypted USB flash drives offer better security and data
access speed than software-based one. However, it is very inconvenient because the user still needs to
remember to input a password each time before using the device.
To solve the above problems, we present a novel chaos authentication to construct high-security
USB flash drives and cancel the traditional encrypted USB flash drives complex encryption and
decryption operation. It is well known that the chaotic system is a very complex nonlinear system. Chaos
properties, such as broadband noise-like waveform, and depending on the sensitivity of the system’s
precise initial conditions, etc., have generally been studied. These properties offer some advantages
for applications in many important research topics, for example, secure communication [2–4],
chemical reactions, and artificial neural networks [5,6]. For applications, synchronization of
master-slave chaotic systems is very important; therefore, many control approaches have been
proposed to solve the problem of synchronization for chaotic systems, such as the backstepping
technique [7,8], fuzzy sliding mode control and optimal control [9–11], etc. Recently, due to the
remarkable progress of digital signal processing (DSP) technology, the researchers often implement the
controllers by the microcontroller with DSP technology for better reliability, lower cost, smaller size,
more flexibility and better performance. Therefore, research into discrete-time control has become
intensified in recent years [12–14].
Motivated by the aforementioned, this study aims to design a discrete-time sliding mode control
and utilize the synchronization of the master-slave Henon maps to provide dynamical random numbers
for the chaos authentication. In order to obtain the richer chaotic state responses for authentication,
we first introduce six parameters into the original Henon map. Then according to the sliding mode
control design, a discrete controller is proposed to cope with the synchronization problem of discrete
master-slave hyperchaotic Henon maps [15]. The selection of the switching surface and the existence
of the discrete sliding manifold are also addressed. After achieving the chaos synchronization, a chaos
authentication approach based on the non-linear encryption and decryption function design are
proposed. Then the obtained results are applied to design a new high-security USB flash drive. In this
design, we built discrete hyperchaotic Henon maps in the microcontroller (slave) and the smartphone
(master), respectively. The new chaos authentication is to authenticate the dynamic random numbers
generated by the master chaotic system in the user’s USB flash drive and the user’s smartphone.
Such authentication methods not only solve the defect in the traditional encryption USB flash drive
which is easy to crack when inputting a password but also eliminates the inconvenience that the
user needs to remember and input the password. To our best knowledge, this is an unprecedented
authentication method in the market.
This paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, we first formulate the problem of chaos
synchronization. The discrete sliding mode control (DSMC) design for synchronization of discrete
master-slave hyperchaotic Henon Maps and the experimental simulations are proposed. In Section 3,
the high-security USB flash drive based on chaos authentication is constructed. The structure of USB
flash drives and the authentication mechanism between USB flash drive and user’s smartphone are
also addressed. Finally, a concise conclusion and future work are given in Section 4.

2. Synchronization of Discrete Hyperchaotic Henon Maps

In this paper, we will discuss the design of a high-security USB flash drive based on the technology
of chaos synchronization. Before constructing the design, the first problem undertaken was to solve
the synchronization problem of the master-slave hyperchaotic Henon Maps. Then we aim to propose
Electronics 2018, 7, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 9
Electronics 2018, 7, 82 3 of 9

be obtained for authentication. The dynamic equations of the hyperchaotic Henon Maps [15] are
described
a DSMC to as solve
follows:
the chaos synchronization problem. In the following, we first introduce some
parameters into the original Henon
𝑥1 (𝑘map,
+ 1) such that
= 1.76 − richer chaotic
𝑥22 (𝑘) − state responses can be obtained for
0.1𝑥3 (𝑘)
authentication. The dynamic equations of the hyperchaotic Henon Maps [15] are described as follows:
𝑥2 (𝑘 + 1) = 𝑥1 (𝑘) (1)
x1 (k + 1) = 1.76 − x22 (k) 𝑥− (𝑘
0.1x
+31) + 1) = x1 ( k ) x3 ( k + 1) = x2 ( k )
(k)=x2𝑥(k(𝑘) (1)
3 2
strange attractor(master) strange attractor(slave)
where, 𝑥x𝑖i,,𝑖i =
where, = 1,2,3
1, 2, 3isisthe
thestate
statevariable.
variable.The
Thestrange
strangeattractor
attractorof
ofEquation
Equation(1)
(1)isisshown
shownas
asFigure
Figure 1.
1.

5
0
0
-5
x1

y1
-5
-10

-10 -15
20 20
20
10 10 10
10
0 0 0
0
-10 -10 -10
x3 -10 x2 y3 y2

Figure1.
Figure Strangeattractor
1. Strange attractorof
ofhyperchaotic
hyperchaotic system.
system.

In
In order
order to
to adjust
adjust the
the amplitude
amplitude and
and DC
DC level
level for
for obtaining
obtaining richer
richer chaotic responses, we let:
𝑦 (𝑘) = 𝑎 𝑥 (𝑘) + 𝑑
y1 (k ) = a1 x1 (k ) +1 d1 y2 (k) 1=1 a2 x2 (k)1+ d2 y3 (k) = a3 x3 (k) + d3 (2)
𝑦2 (𝑘) = 𝑎2 𝑥2 (𝑘) + 𝑑2 (2)
where, ai , i = 1, 2, 3 is the amplitude parameters for adjusting the amplitudes and di , i = 1, 2, 3 are
𝑦3 (𝑘) = 𝑎3 𝑥3 (𝑘) + 𝑑3
those for DC level. From Equation (2), we can get:
where, 𝑎𝑖 , 𝑖 = 1,2,3 is the amplitude parameters for adjusting the amplitudes and 𝑑𝑖 , 𝑖 = 1,2,3 are
those for DC level. From Equation (2), ( k ) − di
canyiget:
xi (we
k) = ; i = 1, 2, 3 (3)
ai
𝑦𝑖 (𝑘) − 𝑑𝑖
𝑥𝑖 (𝑘) = ; 𝑖 = 1,2,3 (3)
Substituting Equation (3) into Equation 𝑎𝑖
(1) yields a new type of hyperchaotic system that can be
modulated as shown in Equation (4):
Substituting Equation (3) into Equation (1) yields a new type of hyperchaotic system that can be
modulated as shown in Equation (4):
y1 (k + 1) = λ1 y22 (k) + λ2 y2 (k ) + λ3 y3 (k) + λ4 y2 (k + 1) = β 1 y1 (k) + β 2 y3 (k + 1) = η1 y2 (k) + η2
𝑦1 (𝑘 + 1) = 𝜆1 𝑦22 (𝑘) + 𝜆2 𝑦2 (𝑘) + 𝜆3 𝑦3 (𝑘) + 𝜆4 (4a)
where:
𝑦 (𝑘 + 1) = 𝛽1 𝑦12a(𝑘) 1 d2 + 𝛽2
(4a)
λ21 = − aa12 , λ2 = a 2 , λ 3 = − a3
0.1a1

𝑦3 (𝑘 + 1) = 𝜂1 𝑦d22(𝑘) + 𝜂2
 2 2 
λ4 = a1 1.76 − a22 + 0.1 a1ad3 3 + d1
where: 2 (4b)
a2 a2
𝑎1 β 1 = a12𝑎 , β12𝑑2= − a d1 +0.1𝑎 d2 1
𝜆1 = − 2 ，𝜆 2==a3 , η2 =，𝜆 − a33 = −
1
𝑎2 1 η a2 𝑎22 a2 2d + d𝑎3 3
𝑑22 𝑎1 𝑑3
From the above inferences, 𝜆4 = 𝑎we 1 (1.76 − 2 + 0.1
have introduced a hyperchaotic ) + 𝑑1 Henon Map with a variable
amplitude and DC levels. With six configurable 𝑎 2 parameters,𝑎 3 (4b)
we can arbitrarily adjust the generation
𝑎2 𝑎2
of random numbers to increase the𝛽complexity 1 = ，𝛽2 =of−random
𝑎1 𝑎1
𝑑1 + 𝑑numbers.
2 In the following, we show the
simulation analysis. When we give the modulation
𝑎 parameters
𝑎 a1 = 1, a2 = 2, a3 = 3, d1 = 2, d2 =
𝜂1 = 3，𝜂2 = − 3 𝑑2 + 𝑑3
𝑎 𝑎
4, d3 = 6. The simulation results are shown 2in Figures 22 and 3.
From the above inferences, we have introduced a hyperchaotic Henon Map with a variable
amplitude and DC levels. With six configurable parameters, we can arbitrarily adjust the generation
of random numbers to increase the complexity of random numbers. In the following, we show the
Electronics 2018, 7, x FOR PEER REVIEW 4 of 9

simulation analysis. When we give the modulation parameters 𝑎11 = 1, 𝑎22 = 2, 𝑎33 = 3, 𝑑11 = 2, 𝑑22 =
4, 𝑑33 = 6.2018,
Electronics The7, simulation
82 results are shown in Figures 2 and 3. 4 of 9

x1
0

-2
10 20 30 time 40 50 60
2
x2

-2
10 20 30 40 50 60
time
2
x3

-2
10 20 30 time 40 50 60

Figure 2.
Figure 2. State
State responses
responses of
of the
the original
original Henon
Henon Map
Map system.
system.

4
y1

2
0
10 20 30 40 50 60
10 time
y2

5
0
10 20 30 40 50 60
15 time
10
y3

5
0
10 20 30 40 50 60
time

Figure 3. State
Figure 3. State responses
responses of
of the
the adjusted
adjusted Henon
Henon Map
Map system.
system.

As mentioned
As mentionedabove,
above, synchronization
synchronization ofmaster
of the the master andchaotic
and slave slave systems
chaotic are
systems are a key
a key technology
technology for generating identical random signals for authentication. The master-slave hyperchaotic
for generating identical random signals for authentication. The master-slave hyperchaotic Henon
Henon
maps maps
are are defined
defined asrespectively.
as below, below, respectively.
Master system:
Master system:
𝑥11(𝑘 + 1) = 𝜆11𝑥2222(𝑘) + 𝜆22𝑥22(𝑘) + 𝜆33𝑥33(𝑘) + 𝜆44
x1 (k + 1) = λ1 x22 (k) + λ2 x2 (k) + λ3 x3 (k) + λ4 x2 (k + 1) = β 1 x1 (k ) + β 2 x3 (k + 1) = η1 x2 (k ) + η2 (5)
𝑥22(𝑘 + 1) = 𝛽11𝑥11(𝑘) + 𝛽22 (5)
Slave system: 𝑥33(𝑘 + 1) = 𝜂11𝑥22(𝑘) + 𝜂22

y1 (Slave
k + 1)system:
= λ1 y22 (k) + λ2 y2 (k) + λ3 y3 (k) + λ4 + u(k)y2 (k + 1) = β 1 y1 (k) + β 2 y3 (k + 1) = η1 y2 (k) + η2 (6)
𝑦 (𝑘 + 1) = 𝜆11𝑦2222(𝑘) + 𝜆22𝑦22(𝑘) + 𝜆33𝑦33(𝑘) + 𝜆44 + 𝑢(𝑘)
where, xi and yi are the11 state vectors of the master system and the slave system, respectively. The control
22(𝑘 + 1) = 𝛽11𝑦11(𝑘)
input u(k) is introduced to achieve 𝑦synchronization. + 𝛽22
By defining the error vector ei (k) = yi − xi (k), (6)
i=
1, 2, 3, the dynamics of synchronization𝑦 (𝑘 +error
1) =can
𝜂 𝑦be(𝑘)
described
+𝜂 as:
33 11 22 22

e1 (k + 1) = λ1 y22 (k ) − x22 (k) + λ2 e2 (k) + λ3 e3 (k) + u(k )e2 (k + 1) = β 1 e1 (k)e3 (k + 1) = η1 e2 (k)

(7)

From the error dynamics (Equation (7)), it is clear that the synchronization problem becomes the
equivalent problem of stabilization of the error dynamics (Equation (7)). Therefore, to synchronize
Electronics 2018, 7, 82 5 of 9

the master–slave chaotic systems defined in Equations (5) and (6), we must design a sliding mode
controller such that the resulting error vector satisfies:

lim k e1 (k) e2 (k ) e3 (k) k= 0 (8)

k→∞

To make master–slave hyperchaotic system, Equations (5) and (6) must reach synchronization,
we must design a robust synchronization controller. A discrete sliding mode control (DSMC) design is
used here. To complete the control design, firstly the switching surface is given as:

s ( k ) = e1 ( k ) + c 1 e2 ( k ) + c 2 e3 ( k ) (9)

Suppose s(k) = 0 (in the sliding manifold), we can get:

e1 ( k ) = − c 1 e2 ( k ) − c 2 e3 ( k ) (10)

Substituting (9) into (7), we obtain:

" # " #" #
e2 ( k + 1 ) − c1 β 1 − c2 β 1 e2 ( k )
= = Me(k) (11)
e3 ( k + 1 ) η1 0 e3 ( k )

From Equation (11), we can see that if we choose c1 , c2 such that the eigenvalues of M in
Equation (11) can be limited in the unit circle, i.e., |λi ( M)| < 1, then e2 , e3 can converge to zero.
Furthermore, according to e1 (k) = −c1 e2 (k ) − c2 e3 (k), we obtain e1 = 0 when e2 , e3 have converged
to zero.
For DSMC design, in order to ensure that the system can hit the switching surface and enter the
sliding manifold (s(k ) = 0), the controller is designed as follows:
Since:

s ( k + 1)
= e1 ( k + 1 ) + c 1 β 1 e2 ( k + 1 ) + c 2 e3 ( k + 1 ) (12)
= λ1 (y2 (k) + x2 (k))e2 (k) + λ2 e2 (k) + λ3 e3 (k) + u(k) + c1 β 1 e1 (k) + c2 η1 e2 (k)

let the controller be:

u(k ) = −(λ1 (y2 (k) + x2 (k))e2 (k) + λ2 e2 (k) + λ3 e3 (k) + c1 β 1 e1 (k) + c2 η1 e2 (k)) + αs(k) (13)

Substituting Equation (13) into Equation (12) yields:

s(k + 1) = αs(k) (14)

Then if |α| < 1, then the system will smoothly enter the sliding mode. According to the
discussion above, when in the sliding mode, we can easily ensure the stability of the error system
(Equation (7)) and then the controlled master-slave hyperchaotic systems can be synchronized.
When implementing the synchronization controller u(k) (Equation (13)), in order to reduce the data
transmission and promote the security, we divide the control input u(k) into two parts of um (k )
and us (k ) satisfying u(k) = −(λ1 (y2 (k) + x2 (k))e2 (k) + λ2 e2 (k) + λ3 e3 (k) + c1 β1 e1 (k) + c2 η1 e2 (k)) +
αs(k) = um (k) + us (k), where um (k) is the combination of the states of the master systems and us (k ) is
the combination of the state signal of the slave system.
In the following, we give an example to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control
method. The simulation results with initial conditions of x1 = 0.5, x2 = −0.3, x3 = 0.4, y1 = −0.3,
y2 = −0.1, y3 = 0.8, α = −0.5, a1 = 3, a2 = 5, a3 = 6, d1 = 0.2, d2 = 0.5, d3 = 0.7 are shown in
Figures 4 and 5. Here, the eigenvalues of M are (0.9, 0.8) satisfying |λi ( M)| < 1 with c1 = −1.02,
c2 = 0.36. Figure 4 shows the state response of controlled chaotic systems. Figure 5 depicts the
 In the following, we give an example to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control
In the following, we give an example to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control
method. The simulation results with initial conditions of 𝑥 = 0.5, 𝑥 = −0.3, 𝑥 = 0.4 , 𝑦 =
method. The simulation results with initial conditions of 𝑥11 = 0.5, 𝑥22 = −0.3, 𝑥33 = 0.4 , 𝑦11 =
−0.3, 𝑦 = −0.1, 𝑦 = 0.8, 𝛼 = −0.5, 𝑎 = 3, 𝑎 = 5, 𝑎 = 6, 𝑑 = 0.2, 𝑑 = 0.5, 𝑑 = 0.7 are shown
−0.3, 𝑦22 = −0.1, 𝑦33 = 0.8, 𝛼 = −0.5, 𝑎11 = 3, 𝑎22 = 5, 𝑎33 = 6, 𝑑11 = 0.2, 𝑑22 = 0.5, 𝑑33 = 0.7 are shown
in Figures 47,and 5. Here, the eigenvalues of 𝑀 are (0.9, 0.8) satisfying |𝜆 |𝜆 (𝑀)| < 1 with 𝑐 =
in Figures
Electronics 2018,4 and
82 5. Here, the eigenvalues of 𝑀 are (0.9, 0.8) satisfying 𝑖𝑖(𝑀)| < 1 with 6𝑐11of=9
−1.02, 𝑐 = 0.36. Figure 4 shows the state response of controlled chaotic systems. Figure 5 depicts
−1.02, 𝑐22 = 0.36. Figure 4 shows the state response of controlled chaotic systems. Figure 5 depicts
the responses of the switching surface, control input and the synchronization error. It can be seen that
the responses of the switching surface, control input and the synchronization error. It can be seen that
responses of the switching
the synchronization surface,
errors are control
regulated input
to zero. andthe
From thesimulation
synchronization error.
results, it showsIt the
canproposed
be seen
the synchronization errors are regulated to zero. From the simulation results, it shows the proposed
that
DSMC (Equation (13)) works well and the controlled master–slave hyperchaotic systems the
the synchronization errors are regulated to zero. From the simulation results, it shows are
DSMC (Equation (13)) works well and the controlled master–slave hyperchaotic systems are
proposed
synchronized DSMC (Equation (13)) works well and the controlled master–slave hyperchaotic systems are
asymptotically.
synchronized asymptotically.
synchronized asymptotically.
10
10
x1
0 x1
0
y1
-10 y1
-10
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
10
10
0
x2
x2
0
-10
-10
y2
y2
-20
-200 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
20
20
0
x3
x3
0
-20 y3
y3
-20
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Figure 4. State responses

responses of the
the controlled master–slave
master–slave system.
Figure 4. State responses of
Figure 4. of the controlled
controlled master–slave system.
system.

1
1
0
ss

0
-1
-10 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
0 5 10 15 20 25
k 30 35 40 45 50
k
20
20
0
uu

0
-20
-20
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
k
k
10
10
0
0
e1
-10 e1
-10 e2
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 e2
90
0 10 20 30 40 k 50 60 70 80 e3
90
k e3
Figure 5.
5. Responses
Responses of
of the
the switching
switching surface,
surface, control
control input and
and synchronization error.
error.
Figure
Figure 5. Responses of the switching surface, control input
input and synchronization
synchronization error.

3. Design of High-Security USB Flash Drive Based on Chaos Authentication

3. Design of High-Security USB Flash Drive Based on on Chaos
Chaos Authentication
Authentication
In this paper, we aim to construct a high-security USB flash drive via chaos synchronization and
In this paper,
paper, we
weaimaimtotoconstruct
constructa high-security USB
a high-security USB flash drive
flash via via
drive chaos synchronization
chaos and
synchronization
authentication. We use an ARM-based microcontroller as the hardware-based encryption engine. To
authentication.
and We use
authentication. We anuseARM-based
an ARM-based microcontroller as the
microcontroller as hardware-based
the hardware-based encryption engine.
encryption To
engine.
focus on promoting the convenience and system security, we use the most popular smart phone to
focus
To on on
focus promoting
promotingthethe
convenience
convenience andand
system security,
system wewe
security, useuse
thethe
most
mostpopular
popularsmart phone
smart phone to
perform authentication with the hardware-based encryption engine. Moreover, not only do we solve
perform
to performauthentication withwith
authentication the hardware-based
the hardware-basedencryption engine.engine.
encryption Moreover, not onlynot
Moreover, do we solve
only do
the disadvantages in the traditional encrypted flash drives but also provide more secure encryption
the solve
we disadvantages in the traditional
the disadvantages encrypted encrypted
in the traditional flash drives but drives
flash also provide
but alsomore securemore
provide encryption
secure
protection.
protection. protection.
encryption

3.1. Design of
3.1. of High-Security USB
USB Flash Drive
Drive
3.1. Design
Design of High-Security
High-Security USB Flash
Flash Drive
The structure of
The of the high-security
high-security USB flash
flash drives are
are shown inin Figure 6.6. In
In addition to
to the
The structure
structure of the
the high-security USB
USB flash drives
drives are shown
shown in Figure
Figure 6. In addition
addition to the
the
original
original flash memory and USB flash memory controller, we introduce an ARM-based
original flash
flashmemory
memoryand USB
and flash
USBmemory controller,controller,
flash memory we introduce
wean introduce
ARM-basedan microcontroller,
ARM-based
power management unit and a Bluetooth module (nRF51822) for performing data transmission,
chaos synchronization and authentication with the smart phone.
 Electronics 2018, 7, x FOR PEER REVIEW 7 of 9

microcontroller,
Electronics power management unit and a Bluetooth module (nRF51822) for performing7data
2018, 7, 82 of 9
transmission, chaos synchronization and authentication with the smart phone.

Figure6.6.High-security
Figure High-securityUSB
USBflash
flashdrive
drivearchitecture.
architecture.

We built discrete slave and master hyperchaotic systems in the microcontroller and user’s
We built discrete slave and master hyperchaotic systems in the microcontroller and
smartphone, respectively. The synchronization controller is implemented at ARM-based
user’s smartphone, respectively. The synchronization controller is implemented at ARM-based
microcontroller side to achieve synchronization between the master and slave chaotic systems. Before
microcontroller side to achieve synchronization between the master and slave chaotic systems.
confirming the user’s identity and synchronization, the microcontroller disables the USB flash
Before confirming the user’s identity and synchronization, the microcontroller disables the USB
memory controller such that the computer cannot detect the existence of USB flash drive and cannot
flash memory controller such that the computer cannot detect the existence of USB flash drive and
access the data. After completing chaos synchronization and authentication, ARM-based
cannot access the data. After completing chaos synchronization and authentication, ARM-based
microcontroller will enable USB flash memory controller and allow the computer to read or write the
microcontroller will enable USB flash memory controller and allow the computer to read or write the
data in high-security USB flash drive.
data in high-security USB flash drive.
3.2.Realization
3.2. RealizationofofChaos
ChaosAuthentication
Authentication
Asmentioned
As mentioned above,
above, after
after the
theslave
slavechaos
chaossystem
systemestablished
established ininthe
thehigh-security
high-securityUSB USBflash
flash
drive, it synchronized with the master system in the smartphone; the same random
drive, it synchronized with the master system in the smartphone; the same random signal can be signal can be
simultaneously obtained in both the USB flash drive and the smartphone. In order
simultaneously obtained in both the USB flash drive and the smartphone. In order to improve security to improve
security
and avoidand avoid
being being we
cracked, cracked, we designed
designed a non-linear
a non-linear encryptionencryption and decryption
and decryption function. function.
Using a
Using a random number generated in the discrete master chaotic system
random number generated in the discrete master chaotic system in the user’s smartphonein the user’s smartphone
to encryptto
aencrypt
specifieda specified user password,
user password, and then and then
send send
the the encrypted
encrypted password
password to the to the flash
USB USB flash
drivedrive via
via the
the Bluetooth module. The high-security USB flash drive will receive the encrypted
Bluetooth module. The high-security USB flash drive will receive the encrypted signal and is able signal and is able
todecrypt
to decryptititdue
duetotothe
thesynchronization.
synchronization.The Theabove
abovenon-linear
non-linearencryption
encryptionand anddecryption
decryptionfunction
function
designisisgiven
design givenas
asfollows:
follows:

  𝑝, 𝑡) = 𝑥12 + (1 +𝑥22 )𝑝
𝐸(𝑥,   
E( x, p, t) = x12 + 1 + x22 p p̂ = D (y, E, t) = E2 ( x, p, t) − y2 / 1 + y22 (15)
(15)
2 1
𝑝̂ = 𝐷(𝑦, 𝐸, 𝑡) = (𝐸(𝑥, 𝑝, 𝑡) − 𝑦1 )/(1 + 𝑦2 )
whereE(𝐸(𝑥,
where x, p, 𝑝,
t) 𝑡)
is aisnon-linear
a non-linear encryption
encryption function,
function, D (y,𝐷(𝑦,
E, t)𝐸,is𝑡)a non-linear
is a non-linear decryption
decryption function,
function, p is
𝑝 is
the the(default
key key (default
built, built,
not user-defined), p̂ is the𝑝̂ recovered
not user-defined), is the recovered
key, x iskey, 𝑥 is the random
the random state ofchaotic
state of master master
chaoticin
system system
the smartphone, y is the 𝑦
in the smartphone, is the random
random state of
state of slave slave chaotic
chaotic system system
built inbuilt
USB in USBdrive.
flash flash
drive.
The The complete
complete authentication
authentication mechanism
mechanism is shown is in
shown in 7.
Figure Figure 7.

3.3.
3.3.High-Security
High-SecurityUSB
USBFlash
FlashDrive
DriveOperation
Operation
High-security
High-securityUSB
USBflash
flashdrive
driveoperation
operationisisvery
verysimply
simplydescribed
describedasasbelow:
below:
Step
Step1:1: Plug
Plughigh-security
high-securityUSB
USBflash
flashdrive
driveinto
intothe
theUSB
USBport
portof
ofyour
yourcomputer.
computer.
Step2:2: Open
Step Openthe
theAPP
APPinstalled
installedon
onthe
theuser’s
user’ssmartphone
smartphoneforforuser
userauthentication.
authentication.
Step3:3: When
Step Whenpassing
passingchaos
chaosauthentication
authenticationas as shown
shown in
in Figure
Figure 7, the user
7, the user can
can begin
begin to
toaccess
accessthe
the
data in the high-security USB flash drive.
data in the high-security USB flash drive.
Electronics 2018, 7, 82 8 of 9
Electronics 2018, 7, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 of 9

Figure 7. The
Figure 7. The authentication
authentication mechanism
mechanism between
between USB
USB flash
flash drive
drive and
and user’s
user’s smartphone.
smartphone.

4. Conclusions and Future Work

Work
This paper has recommended a novel design of high-security high-security USB flash drives
drives with
with proposed
proposed
authentication based on chaos synchronization. By using the discrete sliding mode control, a simple
and successful
successfulDSMC
DSMC controller has been
controller introduced
has been for synchronizing
introduced two chaotic
for synchronizing twosystems.
chaoticMoreover,
systems.
the synchronization scheme and the non-linear encryption and decryption function
Moreover, the synchronization scheme and the non-linear encryption and decryption function design design have
been
have applied to construct
been applied a high-security
to construct USB flash
a high-security USBdrive.
flash The simulation
drive. and experimental
The simulation results
and experimental
verify
resultsthat thethat
verify methods are correct
the methods and theand
are correct drawbacks of poorofperformance
the drawbacks and inconvenience
poor performance in the
and inconvenience
traditional encrypted USB flash drives are all removed. In the future, we will continuously
in the traditional encrypted USB flash drives are all removed. In the future, we will continuously study
the improvement
study for chaos
the improvement authentication
for chaos by combining
authentication the well-known
by combining the well-knowncryptosystems
cryptosystemswithwith
the
synchronized
the synchronized dynamic keyskeys
dynamic in this paper.
in this Furthermore,
paper. Furthermore, thethe
security analysis
security andand
analysis thethe
effectiveness of
effectiveness
resistance to attacks
of resistance willwill
to attacks alsoalso
be studied to ensure
be studied thethe
to ensure security of USB
security flash
of USB drives.
flash drives.

Author Contributions: All

Author Contributions: All authors contributed to
authors contributed to the
the paper.
paper. P.-Y.W.
P.-Y.W. wrote
wrote the
the manuscript
manuscript with
with the
the supervision
supervision
from T.-L.L. and J.-J.Y., P.-C.C., Y.-C.L. and L.-K.W. are responsible for the hardware design of the high-security
from T.-L.L. and J.-J.Y., P.-C.C., Y.-C.L. and L.-K.W. are responsible for the hardware design of the high-security
USB flash drives.
USB flash drives.
Funding: This work was financially supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, under grant
Funding: This work was financially
MOST-105-2221-E-006-103-MY2 and supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, under grant
MOST-106-2221-E-366-001.
MOST-105-2221-E-006-103-MY2 and MOST-106-2221-E-366-001.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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