Fast image encryption algorithm based on (n, m, k)-PCMLCA

• Published in: Multimedia tools and applications Vol. 81; no. 1; pp. 1209 - 1235
• Main Authors: Kang, Sung Won, Choi, Un Sook, Cho, Sung Jin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.01.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Algorithms; Cellular automata; Color imagery; Computer Communication Networks; Computer Science; Data Structures and Information Theory; Encryption; Multimedia Information Systems; Pixels; Special Purpose and Application-Based Systems; Substitutes; Cellular automata; Programmable complemented MLCA; Fast image encryption; Image shuffling; PRNG
• ISSN: 1380-7501; 1573-7721
• DOI: 10.1007/s11042-021-11424-8

Cellular Automata (CA) can be implemented by hardware and processed in parallel unlike the conventional algorithm based on chaotic function. In this paper, we propose a fast encryption algorithm for color image using ( n ,  m ,  k )-programmable complemented maximum length CA(( n ,  m ,  k )-PCMLCA). This algorithm improves the speed of shuffling pixel positions in the color image encryption system. The encryption process of the proposed image encryption system consists of a substitution step and a shuffling step. In the substitution step, we design the ( n ,  m ,  k )-PCMLCA which can generate nonlinear sequences whose lengths are longer than the lengths of sequences generated by complemented maximum length CA (C-MLCA), and use it as the key sequence generator. In the shuffling step, we improve the encryption/decryption speed by raising the domain processing the image to the row/column level rather than the pixel unit and processing the block unit using 1-D MLCA. With the advantage of these CA, we can improve the speed of encryption/decryption.