Lorenz and Chua Chaotic Key-Based Dynamic Substitution Box for Efficient Image Encryption

• Published in: Symmetry (Basel) Vol. 17; no. 8; p. 1296
• Main Authors: Boobalan, Sarala, Gurunathan Arthanari, Sathish Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 11.08.2025
• Subjects: Algorithms; Application specific integrated circuits; Custom integrated circuits; Data security; Digital integrated circuits; Encryption; Entropy; Field programmable gate arrays; Fourier transforms; Investment analysis; Logic; Nonlinearity; Real time; Security; Security management; Substitutes; Threat evaluation
• ISSN: 2073-8994; 2073-8994
• DOI: 10.3390/sym17081296

With the growing demand for secure image communication, effective encryption solutions are critical for safeguarding visual data from unauthorized access. The substitution box (S-box) in AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is critical for ensuring nonlinearity and security. However, the static S-box used in AES is vulnerable to algebraic attacks, side-channel attacks, and so on. This study offers a novel Lorenz key and Chua key-based Reversible Substitution Box (LCK-SB) for image encryption, which takes advantage of the chaotic behavior of the Lorenz and Chua key systems to improve security due to nonlinear jumps and mixed chaotic behavior while maintaining optimal quantum cost, area, and power. The suggested method uses a hybrid Lorenz and Chua key generator to create a highly nonlinear and reversible S-box, which ensures strong confusion and diffusion features. The performance of the LCK-SB approach is examined on field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) platforms, and the findings show that quantum cost, delay, and power are decreased by 97%, 74.6%, and 35%, respectively. Furthermore, the formal security analysis shows that the suggested technique efficiently resists threats. The theoretical analysis and experimental assessment show that the suggested system is more secure for picture encryption, making it suitable for real-time and high-security applications.