Novel Meaningful Image Encryption Based on Block Compressive Sensing

Abstract

This paper proposes a new image compression-encryption algorithm based on a meaningful image encryption framework. In block compressed sensing, the plain image is divided into blocks, and subsequently, each block is rendered sparse. The zigzag scrambling method is used to scramble pixel positions in all the blocks, and subsequently, dimension reduction is undertaken via compressive sensing. To ensure the robustness and security of our algorithm and the convenience of subsequent embedding operations, each block is merged, quantized, and disturbed again to obtain the secret image. In particular, landscape paintings have a characteristic hazy beauty, and secret images can be camouflaged in them to some extent. For this reason, in this paper, a landscape painting is selected as the carrier image. After a 2-level discrete wavelet transform (DWT) of the carrier image, the low-frequency and high-frequency coefficients obtained are further subjected to a discrete cosine transform (DCT). The DCT is simultaneously applied to the secret image as well to split it. Next, it is embedded into the DCT coefficients of the low-frequency and high-frequency components, respectively. Finally, the encrypted image is obtained. The experimental results show that, under the same compression ratio, the proposed image compression-encryption algorithm has better reconstruction effect, stronger security and imperceptibility, lower computational complexity, shorter time consumption, and lesser storage space requirements than the existing ones.