The Chen hyperchaotic systems are synchronized via linear feedback control and the parameter is identified by using the adaptive control techniques even though the parameter is unknown. It is proved by the Lyapunov stability theory that the response system is able to track the driving system well and the parameter is estimated exactly. Based on the synchronization of Chen hyperchaotic systems, a scheme of secure communication using the parameter modulation method is presented and the transmitted plaintext message can be successfully recovered. Finally, white Gaussian noise in different kinds of signal-to-noise ratio is conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed secure communication scheme. The return maps of the transmitted signals are provided to show the higher degree of security. Numerical simulation shows its feasibility.