Fast and Secure Color Image Cryptosystem Based on 2D Henon Chaotic Map and Josephus-ZigZag Permutation

Abstract

In this study, we propose a color image encryption scheme that integrates multiple techniques, including chaotic maps and DNA encoding, to ensure high security and robustness. The encryption process begins with circular shift and rotation operations to permute pixel positions and disrupt spatial correlations. Subsequently, two chaotic maps, including a one-dimensional (1D) chaotic system, are employed to generate key sequences. These sequences are combined with the original image through XOR operations among the three derived matrices to introduce strong confusion. To further enhance security, an additional layer of DNA-based encryption is applied, reinforcing resistance against statistical and differential attacks. The robustness of the proposed scheme has been thoroughly evaluated using several standard test images and assessed through common performance metrics such as histogram analysis, correlation coefficient, entropy, PSNR, and MSE. Moreover, NPCR and UACI analyses confirm the algorithm’s high sensitivity to slight variations in the encryption key or the plain image. Comparative experiments with several well-established image encryption methods demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves superior security performance and efficiency.