A reversible fragile watermarking technique using fourier transform and Fibonacci Q-matrix for medical image authentication

Abstract

Image authentication techniques are crucial for a multitude of multimedia applications. When images are transmitted through non-secure channels like the internet, they are vulnerable to unauthorized alterations and manipulations. Therefore, it is essential in sensitive fields, like the medical industry, to employ image authentication techniques to guarantee the integrity and authenticity of transmitted images. In this paper, to address these security issues and to ensure the authenticity of medical images, we present a reversible fragile watermarking model where the watermark is first generated from the cover image using DCT and then encrypted by the Fibonacci Q-matrix technique, enhancing the model’s security. Subsequently, DFT is performed on the host image and the obtained sub-band is segmented into 2 × 2 blocks, the watermark is then embedded within the frequency coefficients using a new embedding technique. Experimental results indicates that the presented model produces a great watermarked image quality, with a PSNR superior to 117 dB, while maintaining an acceptable embedding capacity of 0.25 BPP and high sensitivity to various attacks, as it was tested against 16 different attacks and could detect tampering in all of them. Furthermore, the presented scheme offers nearly perfect reversibility with a PSNR of 324 dB, which is very useful in the medical field where we need images with as little distortion as possible.