SORCHIC: Second Order Reversible Cellular Automata based Hybrid Image Cipher for IoT applications

Abstract

In the rapidly evolving digital world, ensuring secure data transmission, especially in image data pivotal to modern communication, remains critical. The Internet of Things (IoT) amplifies the need for encryption systems that blend robust security with efficiency. However, current cryptosystems often compromise one for the other. To address this, emerging algorithmic techniques aim to strike a balance. Among these, First Order Cellular Automata (FOCA) show promise for image encryption, aligning seamlessly with image processing intricacies while maintaining lower implementation complexity. This paper introduces SORCHIC, a novel hybrid encryption algorithm designed specifically for IoT applications encrypting multichannel images. Leveraging Second-Order Cellular Automata (SOCA) and Chaotic Maps, SORCHIC undergoes comprehensive exploration within this work. Detailed insights into its inner workings are provided, followed by a rigorous experimental analysis comparing it to existing encryption methods. The results underscore SORCHIC’s resilience against diverse cryptanalysis attacks and highlight its superior efficiency compared to established techniques. This study contributes to advancing encryption methods, particularly in IoT, by presenting a robust, efficient, and secure approach tailored for image data transmission.