A hash-based image encryption algorithm

Abstract

There exist several algorithms that deal with text encryption. However, there has been little research carried out to date on encrypting digital images or video files. This paper describes a novel way of encrypting digital images with password protection using 1D SHA-2 algorithm coupled with a compound forward transform. A spatial mask is generated from the frequency domain by taking advantage of the conjugate symmetry of the complex imagery part of the Fourier Transform. This mask is then XORed with the bit stream of the original image. Exclusive OR (XOR), a logical symmetric operation, that yields 0 if both binary pixels are zeros or if both are ones and 1 otherwise. This can be verified simply by modulus (pixel1, pixel2, 2). Finally, confusion is applied based on the displacement of the cipher’s pixels in accordance with a reference mask. Both security and performance aspects of the proposed method are analyzed, which prove that the method is efficient and secure from a cryptographic point of view. One of the merits of such an algorithm is to force a continuous tone payload, a steganographic term, to map onto a balanced bits distribution sequence. This bit balance is needed in certain applications, such as steganography and watermarking, since it is likely to have a balanced perceptibility effect on the cover image when embedding.