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Facial image encryption scheme based on improved 4-D hyperchaotic system

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Abstract

To solve the security problem of facial image transmission and storage, we propose a facial image encryption algorithm based on an improved 4-D hyperchaotic system. First, a new 4-D hyperchaotic system is obtained by improving the Chen chaotic system, and then the facial region in the image is recognized and encrypted via the Haar cascade face detection technique. The encryption process is divided into two stages: the scrambling phase uses circular layered and bit-plane splicing V-selective scrambling to alter pixel values, and the diffusion phase employs bit-level DNA cross-encoding and arithmetic operations. These techniques increase the complexity and randomness of encryption, increasing its resistance to brute-force attack. Finally, the encrypted facial region is combined with the non-face region. The experimental results show that the number of pixel change rates and the unified average change intensity of the encrypted image are near ideal, with an information entropy of 7.9976 bits. Security analysis confirms that the algorithm can withstand various attacks.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grants 62102374 and 62072417 and the Henan Provincial Science and Technology Research Project under Grant 242102210141.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Electrical Information Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, 450000, Henan, China

    Xuncai Zhang & Mengrui Liu

  2. College of Building Environment Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, 450000, Henan, China

    Ying Niu

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Contributions

X.C.Z. and M.R.L. conceived the concept; M.R.L wrote the codes, performed the simulations and analyzed the data; X.C.Z. discussed the data. Y.N. contributed to refining the ideas and carrying out additional analyses and revisions. All authors contributed to the writing of the paper.

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Correspondence to Ying Niu.

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Zhang, X., Liu, M. & Niu, Y. Facial image encryption scheme based on improved 4-D hyperchaotic system. J Supercomput 81, 454 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11227-025-06943-2

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