Enhanced Image Encryption through Combined Arnold and Three Other Chaos Techniques

Sameeh Abdulghafour Jassim^1,2,*, Alaa Abulqahar Jihad³, Mohammed I. Khalaf^2,*

¹Department of Vocational Education in Anbar, Ministry of Education, Anbar, Iraq

²Department of Computer Sciences, College of Science, University of Al Maarif, Al Anbar, 31001, Iraq

³ Computer Center, University of Anbar, Al Anbar,31001, Iraq

Emails: prog85sameeh@gmail.com, sameeh@uoa.edu.iq; it.alaa.heety@uoanbar.edu.iq; m.i.khalaf@uoa.edu.iq

Abstract

In an era where digital technologies dominate all aspects of life, image encryption has emerged as a fundamental pillar of data protection and securing sensitive information. With the rise of sophisticated cyber threats and attacks, the search for innovative and stronger encryption methods has become an urgent necessity. This research proposes an enhanced image encryption scheme combining the Arnold map, 2D Henon map, memristor elements, and exponential nonlinearity chaos techniques to address vulnerabilities in conventional encryption methods. The hybrid approach ensures robustness against statistical, differential, and brute-force attacks. Experimental results demonstrate superior performance with unified histogram distribution, including near-ideal information entropy (7.99941), infinite peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and high resistance to differential attacks (NPCR = 99.61%, UACI = 35.08%). A keyspace of  and key sensitivity correlation difference rate (CDR) of 99.61% further validate security. Comparative analysis with recent studies confirms the proposed method’s superiority in encryption strength and computational performance. Consequently, the results of the proposed method making it a promising option for high-security image protection applications.

Keywords: Security; Cryptography; Chaos system; Cipher image