A New Quaternion-Based Encryption Method for DICOM Images

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Cryptography
• Computer Science

Background:

• Digital Image and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) images require robust security measures.
• Existing encryption standards may not offer optimal speed for DICOM image processing.
• Quaternion-based cryptography presents a novel approach for data security.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a new quaternion-based lossless encryption technique for DICOM images.
• To optimize the placement of the encryption scheme within the DICOM network for improved performance.
• To compare the encryption speed of the proposed method against established algorithms.

Main Methods:

• The proposed algorithm decomposes DICOM images into two 8-bit gray-tone images.
• It implements a Feistel network structure, adapted from Sastry and Kumar.
• Leverages quaternion properties and modular arithmetic for data sequence rotation in 3D space.

Main Results:

• The quaternion-based encryption scheme significantly enhances the speed of DICOM image encryption.
• Performance improvements were observed in comparison to Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES) embedded in DICOM.
• Computer-based analysis confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed technique.

Conclusions:

• The proposed quaternion-based lossless encryption is an efficient and secure method for DICOM images.
• The technique offers a viable alternative for enhancing medical image security and communication.
• Further research can explore broader applications of quaternion cryptography in medical data protection.