TWI826077B - Method of locking and unlocking a storage device and related system thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of locking a storage device includes connecting the storage device to a host; inputting a communication number to the host; the host sending a unique machine code of the storage device and the communication number to a server; the server encrypting the unique machine code to form an encrypted text message and sending the encrypted text message to a personal mobile communication device corresponding to the communication number; activating the encrypted text message and generating an activation notification through an authentication program of the personal mobile communication device confirming an identity of user; after the server receives the activation notification, the server generating and transmitting a password information to the host and storing the password information and the communication number in a database in a corresponding table form; and the host locking the storage device according to the password information and storing the communication number to the storage device.

Description

Methods for locking and unlocking storage devices and related systems

The present invention relates to a method of locking and unlocking a storage device and a related system, and in particular, to a method and a related system that enable a user to unlock a locked storage device without worrying about forgetting the password.

In the prior art, users can lock the storage device to prevent the data stored in the storage device from being leaked. When the user wants to access the data stored in the storage device in the future, the user can enter the corresponding password to unlock the storage device and access the data stored in the storage device. However, the user may often use many electronic devices (such as desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones, etc.) plus bank accounts, social networking sites, etc. that the user often uses, so the user must remember Enter a different password. In this way, perhaps one day when the user forgets the password corresponding to the storage device, the user will not be able to access the locked storage device.

However, for forgetting the password, the current method is that when the user wants to continue to use the locked storage device, the user must format the locked storage device, which will result in the data stored in the storage device being lost. erased. If the data stored in the storage device is important to the user, the user will suffer substantial (or psychological) losses. Therefore, how to solve the The above-mentioned problems in the prior art will be an important issue for designers of the storage device.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for locking a storage device. The method at least includes the following steps: connecting the storage device to a host; inputting a communication number to the host; the host transmitting a unique device code of the storage device and the communication number to a server; and the server encrypting the unique device code Form an encrypted message and send the encrypted message to a personal mobile communication device corresponding to the communication number; confirm the user's identity through an identity authentication program of the personal mobile communication device to activate the encrypted message and generate an activation notification; the server receives After the activation notification, a password message is generated and sent to the host, and the password message and the communication number are stored in a database in the form of a corresponding form; and the host locks the storage device based on the password message and locks the storage device. The communication number is stored in the storage device.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the password message is a password usage confirmation message. After receiving the password message, the host locks the storage device through a clear code, wherein the clear code is when connecting the storage device to the When the host is used, it is input through the host and stored in the host.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the password message includes a password, which is generated by the server based on the device code after the server receives the activation notification.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the password is generated by the server based on the unique device code and a timestamp of the current record after the server receives the activation notification.

In one embodiment of the present invention, after the user's identity is confirmed through the identity authentication program, identity information corresponding to the user is generated and sent back to the server together with the activation notification, and the The identity information should be stored in the corresponding form according to the communication number.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for unlocking a storage device. The method includes connecting the storage device to a host and the host obtaining a communication number from the storage device; the host transmits a unique device code of the storage device and the communication number to a server; the server encrypts the unique device code to form an encrypted message and send the encrypted message to a personal mobile communication device corresponding to the communication number; confirm the user's identity through the identity authentication program of the personal mobile communication device to activate the encrypted message and generate an activation notification; the After the server receives the activation notification, it extracts a password message corresponding to the communication number from a corresponding form in a database of the server, and sends the password message to the host; the host unlocks the storage based on the password message device, and delete the communication number in the storage device.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes the following steps: after confirming the user's identity through the identity authentication program, generate identity information corresponding to the user and transmit it back to the server together with the activation notification; and The server compares the identity information with the original identity information corresponding to the communication number through the corresponding form to determine whether they match, and if so, extracts the password information corresponding to the communication number.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a system for locking and unlocking a storage device. The system includes the storage device, a personal mobile communication device, a host and a server. The storage device has a unique device code corresponding to the storage device, and is further used to store a hidden area of a communication number; the personal mobile communication device has an identity authentication program with an identity recognition function to confirm the user's identity and then activate it. An encrypted message, in which the personal mobile communication device corresponds to the communication number; the host is used to connect to the storage device and transmit or receive the unique device code and the communication number of the storage device code, and can lock and unlock the storage device by receiving a password message; the server is used to receive the unique device code and the communication number, and encrypt the unique device code to form the encrypted message and then send it based on the communication number to the personal mobile communication device, and is used to store or retrieve the corresponding password message from a database after receiving an activation notification; after the personal mobile communication device receives the encrypted message, the personal mobile communication device uses an The identity authentication program confirms the user's identity to activate the encrypted message. After receiving the activation notification corresponding to the activation of the encrypted message, the server sends the password message corresponding to the unique device code to the host. The host uses the password message to Lock or unlock the storage device, and selectively store or delete the communication number in the storage device.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the password message is a password usage confirmation message. After receiving the password message, the host locks the storage device through a clear code, wherein the clear code is when connecting the storage device to the When the host is used, it is input through the host and stored in the host.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the password message includes a password, which is generated by the server based on the unique device code after the server receives the activation notification.

10:Storage device

100, 400: System for locking and unlocking storage devices

102:Personal mobile communication device

104:Host

106:Server

200~216, 300~316, 500~512, 600~612: steps

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for locking and unlocking a storage device disclosed in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method of locking a storage device in the system.

Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for the system to unlock a storage device.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a system for locking and unlocking a storage device disclosed in the second embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of locking a storage device in the system.

Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method for the system to unlock a storage device.

Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a system 100 for locking and unlocking a storage device 10 disclosed in the first embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is an illustration of the system 100 for locking a storage device. A flow chart of the method 10, wherein as shown in Figure 1, the system 100 includes a storage device 10, a personal mobile communication device 102, a host 104 and a server 106, and in an embodiment of the present invention, the storage device 10 It can be, but is not limited to, a pen drive, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid-state drive (SSD) with flash memory, and the personal mobile communication device 102 can be However, mobile phones or tablets with mobile data functions or other networking functions and biometric input interfaces (image capture, fingerprint input, etc.) are not restricted. In addition, the detailed steps in Figure 2 are as follows: Step 200: Start; Step 202: Connect the storage device 10 to the host 104; Step 204: Enter the communication number of the personal mobile communication device 102 to the host 104; Step 206: The host 104 transmits the storage device 10 unique device code and the communication number to the server 106; Step 208: The server 106 encrypts the unique device code to form an encrypted message and sends the encrypted message to the personal mobile communication device 102; Step 210: Through the personal mobile communication device An identity authentication program in 102 confirms the user's identity to activate the encrypted SMS and generates an activation notification; Step 212: After receiving the activation notification, the server 106 generates a password message and sends it to the host 104; Step 214: The host 104 locks the storage device 10 according to the password message and stores the communication number in the storage device 10; Step 216: End.

In step 202, in an embodiment of the present invention, the storage device 10 can connect through a type B (type B) or type C (type C) connector including but not limited to a Universal Serial Bus (USB). Connect to host 104. In other embodiments, the storage device 10 can be connected to the host 104 through other types of connection ports (including but not limited to Lightning, HDMI, etc.) or wirelessly (including but not limited to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.) .

In step 204, the user of the personal mobile communication device 102 can input the communication number of the personal mobile communication device 102 to the host 104 through an input interface on the host 104 (not shown in Figure 1). Among them, the input interface includes but is not limited to keyboard, touch screen and digital image interface.

In step 206, the host 104 may transmit the unique device code and the communication number to the server 106 located on the Internet through a wired method or a wireless method. The unique device code of the storage device 10 may be stored in a specific area of a controller (such as ROM) or flash memory in the storage device. When the storage device 10 is connected to the host 104 in step 202, the host 104 can receive the unique device code of the storage device 10, but the acquisition time is not limited to this.

In step 208, the server 106 may use (but is not limited to) an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), an Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), or a hash. The algorithm encrypts the unique device code to form the encrypted message and transmits the encrypted message to the personal mobile communication device 102 .

In step 210, the identity authentication program can be a biometric (including but not limited to fingerprint, retina, vein, etc.) authentication program to confirm the identity of the user to whom the personal mobile communication device 102 belongs, so as to activate the encrypted text message and generate Enable notifications and send back to server 106. In other embodiments, the personal mobile communication device 102 can further generate identity information corresponding to the user through an authentication program, and the personal mobile communication device 102 can send the identity information together with the activation notification back to the server 106. It will be used as a basis for further comparison when unlocking in the future.

In step 212, the server 106 further stores the password message, the communication number and the identity information (if generated) in a corresponding form to a database in the server 106. In one embodiment of the present invention, the password message generated and returned by the server 106 can be a password usage confirmation message. After receiving the password message, the host 104 locks the storage device 10 through a clear code, wherein The clear code can be input by the user through the host 104 and stored in the host 104 when the storage device 10 is connected to the host 104. The input method can be performed through the aforementioned input interface, which will not be described again. However, in another embodiment of the present invention, the password message includes a password, wherein the password is encrypted by the server 106 based on the unique device code (including but not limited to a Generated by Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), or an Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), or a hash algorithm). In addition, in another embodiment of the present invention, after the server 106 receives the activation notification, the server 106 can encrypt and generate the password based on the unique device code and a timestamp of the current record to strengthen the password. The difficulty of cracking is to prevent a third party from obtaining the unique device code through other means and knowing the system encryption method, and then obtaining the locked password.

In step 214, after the host 104 receives the password message, the host 104 can use the aforementioned Lock the storage device 10 with a clear code or password to limit the access rights of the storage device 10, and store the communication number in a hidden area of the storage device 10 or at a specific storage space address, which will not affect the storage The area where the device 10 is normally used. Therefore, when the user subsequently wants to unlock the storage device 10 and connects the storage device 10 to the host 104, the host 104 can determine whether the hidden area or specific storage space address of the storage device 10 has a communication number, and if so, obtain the communication number. Communication number to carry out subsequent unlocking process.

Please refer to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for the system 100 to unlock the storage device 10. The detailed steps in Figure 3 are as follows: Step 300: Start; Step 302: Connect the storage device 10 to the host 104; Step 304 : The host 104 reads the communication number corresponding to the personal mobile communication device 102 stored in the storage device 10; Step 306: The host 104 sends the unique device code and the communication number of the storage device 10 to the server 106; Step 308: Server 106 Encrypt the unique device code to form an encrypted message and send the encrypted message to the personal mobile communication device 102; Step 310: Confirm the identity of the user through the identity authentication program of the personal mobile communication device 102 to activate the encrypted message and generate an activation notification. ; Step 312: After receiving the activation notification, the server 106 extracts a password message corresponding to the communication number from the corresponding form, and sends the password message to the host 104; Step 314: The host 104 unlocks the storage device 10 according to the password message And delete the stored communication number; Step 316: End.

The unlocking process in Figure 3 and the locking process in Figure 2 have some steps that are the same and will not be repeated. Therefore, only the differences between Figure 3 and Figure 2 will be explained below. In step 304, since the host 104 has stored the communication number in the storage device 10, the host 104 can directly read the communication number corresponding to the personal mobile communication device 102 that has been stored in the storage device 10. In another embodiment, when the storage device 10 is connected to the host 104, the host can actively or passively identify, read and extract the communication number in the hidden area or specific storage space address in the storage device 10 to perform the third step. Picture of the unlocking process.

In step 310, after the personal mobile communication device 102 confirms the user's identity through the identity authentication program, the personal mobile communication device 102 generates an activation notification and sends it to the server 106. In other embodiments, if identity information corresponding to the user was generated in the previous locking process, the identity information will also be generated this time and sent to the server 106 together with the activation notification for subsequent processing. comparison.

In step 312, after receiving the activation notification, the server 106 extracts the password information corresponding to the communication number from the corresponding form in its database, and transmits the password information back to the host. In other embodiments, if the server 106 receives the activation notification and its identity information, it will compare the identity information with the original identity information originally stored in the corresponding form to determine whether it matches, and if it matches, extract it. Corresponding to the password message corresponding to the communication number, and sending the password message to the host 104.

In step 314, after the host 104 receives the password message, the host 104 can unlock the storage device 10 based on the password message to open the access authority of the storage device 10, and store the hidden area or specific area in the storage device 10. Delete the communication number originally stored in the storage space address to avoid repeating it next time Misreading caused when locking. In other embodiments, the hidden area or specific storage space address in the storage device 10 can store different communication numbers. This method can actively select the corresponding communication numbers according to the situation of different users using the same storage device, and perform Confirmation of identity information (in other words, the corresponding form in the database of the server 106 can store several independent corresponding pieces of identity information, communication number and password information) to open different access rights.

It should be noted that the password information in step 212 was originally divided into clear code and password. The password allows the user to not need to actively enter any password at all, and only uses the server-based unique device through the methods in Figures 2 and 3. The password generated by code encryption is used to lock and unlock the storage device 10, and the plain code part only needs to be unlocked by following the unlocking process in Figure 3 when the user wants to unlock the storage device 10 but forgets the password. The storage device 10 is sufficient (because under normal circumstances, the user can directly enter the correct password on the host 104 to unlock it through a clear password).

Please refer to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a system 400 for locking the storage device 10 disclosed in the second embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 5 is an illustration of the system 400 for locking the storage device 10. Method flow chart, as shown in Figure 4, the system 400 includes the storage device 10, the personal mobile communication device 102 and the host 104. In addition, the detailed steps in Figure 5 are as follows: Step 500: Start; Step 502: Connect the storage device 10 to the host 104; Step 504: Enter the communication number of the personal mobile communication device 102 to the host 104; Step 506: The host 104 encrypts the storage device 10 unique device codes to form an encrypted message and send the encrypted message to the personal mobile communication device 102; Step 508: Activate the encrypted message through an identity authentication program of the personal mobile communication device 102 Encrypted SMS; Step 510: After receiving an activation notification corresponding to the activation of the encrypted SMS, the host 104 generates at least one password to lock the storage device 10 based on the corresponding unique device code, and combines the at least one password and the communication number with a The form of the corresponding form is stored in the host 104, and the communication number is stored in the storage device 10; Step 512: End.

The difference between the system 400 of FIG. 4 and the system 100 of FIG. 1 is that the system 400 does not include the server 106 . In other words, this embodiment integrates the functions of the original server 106 into the host 104. The biggest difference from the embodiments in Figures 1 to 3 is that this embodiment simplifies equipment requirements and sacrifices the server 106 in Figure 1 Although the risk of management by only the host 104 (or personal mobile communication device 102) is higher than that of the embodiments in Figures 1 to 3, the manufacturer can save maintenance costs to achieve the same purpose. In addition, the difference between the method in Figure 5 and the method in Figure 2 is that in step 506, the host 104 can send the encrypted message to the personal mobile communication device 102 through a wired method or a wireless method and can (but is not limited to) An Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), or an Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), or a hash algorithm encrypts the unique device code to form the encrypted message and transmits the encrypted message to the personal mobile communication device 102; in step 510, the at least one password includes a password input by the user through the input interface or application of the personal mobile communication device 102 (that is, a clear code that the user can know), and then The personal mobile communication device 102 may send an activation notification corresponding to the activation of the encrypted SMS and the password to the host 104 . In another embodiment, after the host 104 receives the activation notification corresponding to the activation of the encrypted text message, the at least one password is a password form encrypted based on the unique device code or combined with a time stamp (the use The person does not know). In another embodiment, the host 104 does not generate the at least one password based on the unique device code, but directly uses the password initially input by the user through the input interface of the host 104 (that is, the password that the user can know. a clear code); finally, the host 104 locks the storage device 10 based on the at least one password, stores the at least one password and the communication number in the host 104 in a corresponding form, and stores the communication number in the storage device 10 in. In another embodiment, the corresponding form may be stored in the personal mobile communication device 102 .

In addition, please refer to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating the method of unlocking the storage device 10 by the system 400 in Figure 4. The detailed steps in Figure 6 are as follows: Step 600: Start; Step 602: Connect the storage device 10 to the host 104; step 604: the host 104 reads the communication number of the personal mobile communication device 102 stored in the storage device 10; step 606: the host 104 encrypts the unique device code to form an encrypted message and sends the encrypted message to the personal mobile communication device 102; Step 608: Activate the encrypted text message through the identity authentication program of the personal mobile communication device 102; Step 610: After receiving an activation notification corresponding to the activation of the encrypted text message, the host 104 activates the encrypted text message according to the corresponding communication number in a corresponding form. At least one password unlocks the storage device 10 and deletes the communication number stored in the storage device 10; Step 612: End.

The difference between the method in Figure 6 and the method in Figure 3 is that in step 606, since the host 104 in the system 400 has integrated the function of the server 106 in the system 100, the host 104 encrypts the unique device code to form the encryption SMS and transmits the encrypted SMS to the personal mobile communication device 102; in step 610, when the host 104 receives the activation notification corresponding to the activation of the encrypted SMS, and after receiving the activation notification corresponding to the activation of the encrypted SMS, After receiving the notification that the secret message is activated, the storage device 10 is unlocked according to the at least one password and the communication number stored in the storage device 10 is deleted. Other included implementation means and alternative methods have been explained in Figures 2 and 3 and corresponding paragraphs, and will not be described again here. In another embodiment, if the corresponding form is stored in the personal mobile communication device 102, when the encrypted message is activated through the identity authentication program of the personal mobile communication device 102 (through user identity comparison), the personal The corresponding password in the corresponding form in the mobile communication device 102 is sent back to the host 104 so that the host 104 can unlock the storage device 10 based on the password.

In summary, the method for locking and unlocking a storage device and the related system provided by the present invention are bound to the user's personal mobile communication in both the process of locking and unlocking the storage device. The device and the corresponding communication number can be further bound to the user identity of the personal mobile communication device, and the locked password is at least encrypted using a unique device code (or further importing a time stamp) to ensure its specificity and improve cracking. Difficulty. Therefore, compared with the prior art, the present invention can not only solve the problems of the prior art, but also has the following advantages: 1) solve the risk caused when the user forgets the password used to lock the storage device; 2) can The server (corresponding to the system in Figure 1) or the personal mobile communication device (corresponding to the system in Figure 4) backs up multiple sets of passwords for the storage device; 3) Through the identity authentication program (such as fingerprint) on the personal mobile communication device , retinal, vein and other biometric methods) authentication program to confirm the user's identity, so it can also protect the password used to lock the storage device.

The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the patentable scope of the present invention shall fall within the scope of the present invention.

200~216: steps

Claims (10)

A method of locking a storage device includes at least the following steps: connecting the storage device to a host; inputting a communication number to the host; the host transmits a unique device code of the storage device and the communication number to a server; The server encrypts the unique device code to form an encrypted message and sends the encrypted message to a personal mobile communication device corresponding to the communication number; the user's identity is confirmed through the identity authentication program of the personal mobile communication device to activate the encrypted message and generate An activation notification; after receiving the activation notification, the server generates a password message and sends it to the host, and stores the password message and the communication number in a database in the form of a corresponding form; and the host based on the The password message locks the storage device and stores the communication number to the storage device. The method described in claim 1, wherein the password message is a password usage confirmation message. After receiving the password message, the host locks the storage device through a clear code, wherein the clear code is when connecting the storage device to When the host is used, it is input through the host and stored in the host. The method of claim 1, wherein the password message includes a password generated by the server based on the unique device code after the server receives the activation notification. A method as described in request 3, wherein the password is used when the server receives the activation After notification, generated by the server based on the unique device code and a timestamp of the current record. The method described in request item 1, wherein after the user's identity is confirmed through the identity authentication program, the identity information of the corresponding user is generated and sent back to the server together with the activation notification, and the corresponding communication number is Identity information is stored in the corresponding form. A method of unlocking a storage device includes at least the following steps: connect the storage device to a host, and the host obtains a communication number from the storage device; the host sends a unique device code of the storage device and the communication number to a Server; the server encrypts the unique device code to form an encrypted message and sends the encrypted message to a personal mobile communication device corresponding to the communication number; confirms the user's identity through the identity authentication program of the personal mobile communication device to activate The encrypted message generates an activation notification; after receiving the activation notification, the server extracts the password message corresponding to the communication number from a corresponding form in a database of the server, and sends the password message to the host ; and the host unlocks the storage device based on the password message and deletes the communication number in the storage device. The method described in request item 6, which further includes the following steps: after confirming the user's identity through the identity authentication program, generating identity information corresponding to the user and sending it back to the server together with the activation notification; and The server compares the identity information with the original identity information corresponding to the communication number through the corresponding form to determine whether they match, and if so, extracts the password information corresponding to the corresponding communication number. A system for locking and unlocking a storage device, including: the storage device has a unique device code corresponding to the storage device; the storage device further has a hidden area useful for storing a communication number; a personal mobile communication device has an identity An identity authentication program with an identification function to activate an encrypted text message after confirming the user's identity, in which the personal mobile communication device corresponds to the communication number; a host used to connect to the storage device and to send or receive the storage device The unique device code and the communication number, and can lock and unlock the storage device by receiving a password message; and a server for receiving the unique device code and the communication number, and encrypting the unique device code to form the encryption After the SMS is sent to the personal mobile communication device based on the communication number, and used to receive an activation notification, the corresponding password message is stored or retrieved from a database; wherein the personal mobile communication device receives the encrypted SMS Afterwards, the personal mobile communication device confirms the user's identity through an identity authentication program to activate the encrypted text message. After receiving the activation notification corresponding to the activation of the encrypted text message, the server sends the password message corresponding to the unique device code to the The host locks or unlocks the storage device based on the password message, and selectively stores or deletes the communication number in the storage device. The system as described in claim 8, wherein the password message is a password usage confirmation message. After receiving the password message, the host locks the storage device through a clear code, wherein the clear code is when connecting the storage device to When the host is used, it is input through the host and stored in the host. The system of claim 8, wherein the password message includes a password generated by the server based on the unique device code after the server receives the activation notification.