A New Chaotic Color Image Encryption Algorithm Based on Memristor Model and Random Hybrid Transforms

This paper skillfully incorporates the memristor model into a chaotic system, creating a two-dimensional (2D) hyperchaotic map. The system’s exceptional chaotic performance is verified through methods such as phase diagrams, bifurcation diagrams, and Lyapunov exponential spectrum. Additionally, a universal framework corresponding to the chaotic system is proposed. To enhance encryption security, the pixel values of the image are preprocessed, and a hash function is used to generate a hash value, which is then incorporated into the secret keys generation process. Existing algorithms typically encrypt the three channels of a color image separately or perform encryption only at the pixel level, resulting in certain limitations in encryption effectiveness. To address this, this paper proposes a novel encryption algorithm based on 2D hyperchaotic maps that extends from single-channel encryption to multi-channel encryption (SEME-TDHM). The SEME-TDHM algorithm combines single-channel and multi-channel random scrambling, followed by local cross-diffusion of pixel values across different planes. By integrating both pixel-level and bit-level diffusion, the randomness of the image information distribution is significantly increased. Finally, the diffusion matrix is decomposed and restored to generate the encrypted color image. Simulation results and comparative analyses demonstrate that the SEME-TDHM algorithm outperforms existing algorithms in terms of encryption effectiveness. The encrypted image maintains a stable information entropy around 7.999, with average NPCR and UACI values close to the ideal benchmarks of 99.6169% and 33.4623%, respectively, further affirming its outstanding encryption effectiveness. Additionally, the histogram of the encrypted image shows a uniform distribution, and the correlation coefficient is nearly zero. These findings indicate that the SEME-TDHM algorithm successfully encrypts color images, providing strong security and practical utility.