Sci Rep. 2025 Oct 13;15(1):35745. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-21604-3.
ABSTRACT
This paper proposes a novel hybrid image encryption scheme that combines a memristor-based hyperchaotic system, the Trivium stream cipher, DNA-inspired operations, and a lightweight 3DES layer into a tightly integrated multi-layer architecture. The memristor-based chaotic system ensures a large key space and complex dynamics, while the Trivium cipher enhances randomness, and the DNA operations introduce strong confusion and diffusion properties. The addition of 3DES further reinforces resistance against brute-force and structural attacks. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm: the information entropy of encrypted images approaches the ideal value (7.999), the correlation coefficients between adjacent pixels are reduced to nearly zero (≈ 0.001), and differential attack metrics achieve NPCR values above 99.58% and UACI values above 33%. Furthermore, the scheme exhibits robustness against data loss and noise (up to 20% salt-and-pepper noise) with minimal degradation in decrypted images. Hardware implementation on the NVIDIA Jetson TX2 confirms the practicality of the method for embedded and edge-computing environments. These results indicate that the proposed scheme provides a secure, efficient, and hardware-friendly solution for modern image encryption applications.
PMID:41083577 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-21604-3
