Perceptual Image Hashing Technique for Image Authentication in WMSNs

Abstract

Due to the advances in wireless networking and mobile computing techniques, multimedia data are often distributed through unreliable wireless channels where packet losses or errors may occur. In particular, Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks (WMSNs) have been recently received a considerable attention for communicating visual data which may help in many important decision makings, so that it is necessary for a recipient to guarantee the received data are not maliciously tampered in transit and originated from a correct source device. Thus, secure multimedia communication has become a more important concern from a security perspective. However, the characteristics of WMSNs and the nature of multimedia data make data authentication schemes more complex, especially for data integrity. In this regard, this chapter addresses the high level requirements for image authentication in WMSNs, and also reviews previously published literature regarding data authentication schemes for WMSNs. Based on the requirements of image authentication in WMSNs, this chapter aims at investigating the feasibility of content based image authentication using perceptual image hashing technique as an alternative data authentication scheme in WMSNs. To do this, the performance of five selected perceptual image hashing algorithms is measured and compared with each other in terms of robustness, discriminability, and security. Finally, this chapter provides a perspective on the potential feasibility and limitations regarding the use of perceptual image hashing technique as an alternative solution to the traditional data authentication scheme in WMSNs.