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Applied Optics

Iterative phase retrieval algorithms Part II: Attacking optical encryption systems

Changliang Guo, Shi Liu, John T. Sheridan

Published May 14, 2015• 48 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The modified iterative phase retrieval algorithms developed in Part I [Guo et al., Appl. Opt.54, 4698 (2015)] are applied to perform known plaintext and ciphertext attacks on amplitude encoding and phase encoding Fourier-transform-based double random phase encryption (DRPE) systems. It is shown that the new algorithms can retrieve the two random phase keys (RPKs) perfectly. The performances of the algorithms are tested by using the retrieved RPKs to decrypt a set of different ciphertexts encrypted using the same RPKs. Significantly, it is also shown that the DRPE system is, under certain conditions, vulnerable to ciphertext-only attack, i.e., in some cases an attacker can decrypt DRPE data successfully when only the ciphertext is intercepted.

DOI
10.1364/ao.54.004709

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The modified iterative phase retrieval algorithms developed in Part I [Guo et al., Appl. Opt.54, 4698 (2015)] are applied to perform known plaintext and ciphertext attacks on amplitude encoding and phase encoding Fourier-transform-based double random phase encryption (DRPE) systems. It is shown that the new algorithms can retrieve the two random phase keys (RPKs) perfectly. The performances of the algorithms are tested by using the retrieved RPKs to decrypt a set of different ciphertexts encrypted using the same RPKs. Significantly, it is also shown that the DRPE system is, under certain conditions, vulnerable to ciphertext-only attack, i.e., in some cases an attacker can decrypt DRPE data successfully when only the ciphertext is intercepted.
The hybrid input-output algorithm, error reduction algorithm, and combinations of both phase retrieval algorithms are applied to perform ciphertext-only attacks on linear canonical transform (LCT)-based amplitude encoding double-random-phase encryption (DRPE) systems. Special cases of LCT-based DRPE systems, i.e., Fourier-transform-based, fractional-Fourier-transform-based, and Fresnel-transform-based DRPE, can also be successfully attacked using the method proposed. Numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed attacking method.
Although initial research shows that double-random phase encoding (DRPE) is vulnerable to known-plaintext attacks that use phase retrieval algorithms, subsequent research has shown that phase-only DRPE, in which the Fourier amplitude component of an image encrypted with classical DRPE remains constant, is resistant to attacks that apply phase retrieval algorithms. Herein, we numerically analyze the key-space of DRPE and investigate the distribution property of decryption keys for classical and phase-only DRPE. We determine the difference in the distribution property of successful decryption keys for these DRPE techniques from the numerical analysis results and then discuss the security offered by them.
We demonstrate in this paper that the traditional double random phase encoding (DRPE) technique is vulnerable to ciphertext-only attack (COA). In this method, an unauthorized user (or say attacker) is assumed to be able to retrieve the corresponding plaintext from the only ciphertext under some certain condition. The proposed scheme mainly relies on a hybrid iterative phase retrieval (HIPR) algorithm, which combines various phase retrieval algorithms. With an estimation of the number of nonzero pixels (NNP) in the original plaintext, an attacker could recover the plaintext in a large extent. The simulation results show that this method is feasible and validate.
Double random phase encoding (DRPE) is vulnerable to known-plaintext attacks (KPAs) based on phase retrieval algorithms. We previously analyzed DRPE resistance to KPA cryptanalysis with multiple known plaintext-ciphertext image pairs and obtained secret keys at a higher probability rate than when performing KPA cryptanalysis using one known image pair. However, the robustness of KPA in the presence of noise or occlusion in DRPE is unclear. We analyzed KPA properties in relation to DRPE when white Gaussian noise was gradually added to the Fourier amplitude or phase of a known ciphertext complex amplitude image. Additionally, we analyzed KPA properties when the Fourier phase of the known ciphertext image was gradually occluded by zero-valued pixels. The results showed that KPAs performed using multiple known plaintext-ciphertext image pairs were largely affected by noise added to the Fourier phase and thus are not always a strong tool for DRPE cryptanalysis.
Classical double-random phase encoding (C-DRPE) is an optical symmetric-key encryption technique. C-DRPE is reported to be vulnerable to a known-plaintext attack (KPA) that uses a phase retrieval algorithm. However, although phase-only DRPE (PO-DRPE) is reported to be more resistant to KPAs than C-DRPE, it is not obvious yet that PO-DRPE is sufficiently resistant to a KPA under any condition, because the vulnerability to KPA varies depending on various factors, such as the number of the known plaintext-ciphertext pairs that are given for the KPA, or the gray level of the known-plaintext image (i.e., binary or multivalued image). In this paper, we investigate the resistance of C-DRPE and PO-DRPE to KPA under various conditions related to the number of known plaintext-ciphertext pairs and to the gray level of the known-plaintext image.
From the perspective of optical information security, we demonstrate that conventional phase retrieval algorithms, such as the Gerchberg–Saxton algorithm, can be still valid when extended from the Fourier transform domain into the fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) domain. Based on this extension, we propose a method of known-plaintext attack (KPA) on double random phase encoding in the fractional Fourier transform domain (DRPE-FRFT). With this attack, an opponent can access two encryption phase keys with the help of the phase retrieval algorithm in the FRFT domain, and meanwhile obtain the two FRFT order keys by using an exhaustive search. This indicates that the optical encryption scheme based on the DRPE-FRFT scheme is vulnerable to KPA due to the nature of the linearity of FRFT. The validity of this attack is verified by numerical simulations.