SPN based RGB image encryption over Gaussian integers

Abstract

This research paper proposes a novel approach for constructing substitution boxes (S-boxes) over Gaussian integers, which are complex numbers with integer coefficients. The proposed method is based on the properties of the Gaussian integers and their arithmetic operations and ensures the S-boxes exhibit strong cryptographic properties. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates how these S-boxes can be utilized for image encryption through a substitution-permutation network (SPN) over Gaussian integers. The SPN involves iteratively applying the S-box and a permutation layer to the input image, which effectively scrambles the image data. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves high security and robustness against various attacks while providing efficient encryption and decryption performance. This research thus provides a promising avenue for developing secure image encryption schemes based on Gaussian integers.