Hyperchaotic image encryption using DNA coding and discrete cosine transform

Abstract

Achieving privacy over sensitive data is challenging in digital communication. In an effort to realize this aim, we propose hyperchaotic image encryption through DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) coding and the discrete cosine transform (DCT). This multi-layered security algorithm comprises advanced levels of confusion and multiple diffusion techniques. The diffusion among the pixel values is attained by employing DNA operations among pixel values and the random sequence generated from the hyperchaotic map. Thereafter, the data sequence is scrambled through the baker map in order to permute the data points. Later, the partially encrypted image is further diffused and compressed through the DCT for lightweight communication. The significant contribution of this algorithm is the excellent improved quality of encryption through a double chaotic DNA encoded scheme. The statistical results are competitive in support of the robustness of the scheme and have shown resistance against the underlying cryptanalytic attacks. The performance of the scheme is evaluated in terms of diverse metrics via entropy, correlation coefficient, PSNR (Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio), Chi-squared values, etc., and are determined to be more efficient and outperforms some existing state of art techniques.