© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

Terms Privacy Legal Notice

Optical Review

Ciphertext-only attacks on the double random phase encryption based on redundancy vulnerability

Xingzhi Wu, Liwei Zhang, Haobo Chen, Wenqing Sun, Quanying Wu

Published Sep 22, 2021• 2 citations

Abstract

Abstract Background: The double random phase encoding techniques have received considerable attention from researchers in recent years because of its advantages of parallel and high speed processing capability. Meanwhile, the security of cryptosystem is also one of the major concerns. Methods : We experimentally demonstrated the ciphertext redundancy vulnerability of the coherent double random encryption system (DRPE). Based on the statistical ergodicity of speckles and the consistency of the power spectral density (ESD), we have proved that the most plaintext information can be retrieved from partial ciphertext alone. Results: In this paper, the simulation and experiment result were performed to verify whether the algorithm is effectiveness. The ciphertext redundancy of the DRPE system is analyzed from the results of ciphertext occlusion test. There is a risk of plaintext leakage of this scheme, as long as the average ESD can be estimated from the sub-images. The results will help to open up deeper understanding of limitation of current optical security techniques. Conclusions: The DRPE system has potential redundancy risk. Even one-time-pad manner is not secured in DRPE system. This vulnerability allows a cryptanalyst to estimate the plaintext information with only a half or less ciphertext.

DOI: 10.1007/s10043-021-00703-2

Related papers

Cyphertext-only attack on the double random-phase encryption: Experimental demonstration

Guowei Li, Wanqin Yang, Dayan Li +1 more

We demonstrate experimentally that the traditional double random phase encoding (DPRE) technique is vulnerable to the cyphertext-only attack (COA). With the statistical ergodic property of the speckle, we show that the plaintext image can be recovered from the cyphertext alone owing to the fact that their energy spectral density functions are identical. Our result reveals the most serious security issue with the DRPE as it suggests that even the one-time-pad does not guarantee its security. This will open up new inside understanding of current optical security techniques.

Optics Express•Apr 4, 2017•86 citations

Special ciphertext-only attack to double random phase encryption by plaintext shifting with speckle correlation

Shuming Jiao, Guowei Li, Changyuan Zhou +2 more

In this paper, a special ciphertext-only attack (COA) scenario to the traditional double random phase encoding (DRPE) technique is proposed based on plaintext shifting. We assume the attacker can illegally manipulate the DRPE system to gain multiple ciphertexts from randomly shifted versions of the same plaintext. The plaintext image can be recovered when our proposed scenario is combined with a speckle correlation attacking method proposed in previous work. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed scheme can successfully crack the DRPE system even when the speckle correlation method alone fails to work in the conventional single ciphertext scenario due to the small size of the plaintext image. The work in this paper reveals a severe security flaw of DRPE systems when minor position shifting of the plaintext occurs.

Journal of the Optical Society of America A•Oct 2, 2017•38 citations

Vulnerability to ciphertext-only attack of optical encryption scheme based on double random phase encoding

Xiaoli Liu, Jiachen Wu, Wenqi He +3 more

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.

Optics Express•Jul 14, 2015•107 citations

Quantitative analysis on key estimation by known-plaintext attacks to DRPE

Kazuya Nakano, Hiroyuki Suzuki, Masahiro Yamaguchi +2 more

Double Random Phase Encoding (DRPE), which is a typical optical encryption technique, has been reported to be vulnerable to Known Plaintext-Attacks (KPAs) using a Phase Retrieval Algorithm (PRA). But the reported case in which the encryption key is successfully estimated was that the plain image was rather simple such as the image of a character. In addition, although Phase Only DRPE (PO-DRPE) was proposed to achieve more resistance to the KPA than Complex DRPE (C-DRPE) in which both amplitude and phase components are used as an encrypted image, no quantitative results about the relationship between the vulnerability and the plaintext image. In this paper, we show the result of quantitative analysis on KPA by PRA to C-DRPE and PO-DRPE, for the plaintext images of different characteristics. As a result of experiment, KPA to C-DRPE succeeded to estimate the correct key while the probability of success became lower when the number of non-zero pixel increases in the plaintext image. However, KPA to PO-DRPE enabled to estimate only "singular" keys, which are effective for no more than given plaintext/ciphertext image pair and far different from the correct encryption key. We also conducted KPA using two plaintext-ciphertext image pairs for KPA. In the case when two plaintext-ciphertext image pairs were given to KPA, the cryptanalysis succeeded with higher probability than the case of one. Moreover, the probability of success in the KPA was high even in PO-DRPE.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Aug 10, 2011•2 citations

Known-plaintext attack-based analysis of double random phase encoding using multiple known plaintext–ciphertext pairs

Kazuya Nakano, Hiroyuki Suzuki

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.

Applied Optics•Sep 28, 2022•11 citations

Security analysis of phase-only DRPE based on known-plaintext attack using multiple known plaintext–ciphertext pairs

Kazuya Nakano, Masafumi Takeda, Hiroyuki Suzuki +1 more

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.

Applied Optics•Sep 23, 2014•29 citations

Abstract Background: The double random phase encoding techniques have received considerable attention from researchers in recent years because of its advantages of parallel and high speed processing capability. Meanwhile, the security of cryptosystem is also one of the major concerns. Methods : We experimentally demonstrated the ciphertext redundancy vulnerability of the coherent double random encryption system (DRPE). Based on the statistical ergodicity of speckles and the consistency of the power spectral density (ESD), we have proved that the most plaintext information can be retrieved from partial ciphertext alone. Results: In this paper, the simulation and experiment result were performed to verify whether the algorithm is effectiveness. The ciphertext redundancy of the DRPE system is analyzed from the results of ciphertext occlusion test. There is a risk of plaintext leakage of this scheme, as long as the average ESD can be estimated from the sub-images. The results will help to open up deeper understanding of limitation of current optical security techniques. Conclusions: The DRPE system has potential redundancy risk. Even one-time-pad manner is not secured in DRPE system. This vulnerability allows a cryptanalyst to estimate the plaintext information with only a half or less ciphertext.

We demonstrate experimentally that the traditional double random phase encoding (DPRE) technique is vulnerable to the cyphertext-only attack (COA). With the statistical ergodic property of the speckle, we show that the plaintext image can be recovered from the cyphertext alone owing to the fact that their energy spectral density functions are identical. Our result reveals the most serious security issue with the DRPE as it suggests that even the one-time-pad does not guarantee its security. This will open up new inside understanding of current optical security techniques.

In this paper, a special ciphertext-only attack (COA) scenario to the traditional double random phase encoding (DRPE) technique is proposed based on plaintext shifting. We assume the attacker can illegally manipulate the DRPE system to gain multiple ciphertexts from randomly shifted versions of the same plaintext. The plaintext image can be recovered when our proposed scenario is combined with a speckle correlation attacking method proposed in previous work. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed scheme can successfully crack the DRPE system even when the speckle correlation method alone fails to work in the conventional single ciphertext scenario due to the small size of the plaintext image. The work in this paper reveals a severe security flaw of DRPE systems when minor position shifting of the plaintext occurs.

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), which is a typical optical encryption technique, has been reported to be vulnerable to Known Plaintext-Attacks (KPAs) using a Phase Retrieval Algorithm (PRA). But the reported case in which the encryption key is successfully estimated was that the plain image was rather simple such as the image of a character. In addition, although Phase Only DRPE (PO-DRPE) was proposed to achieve more resistance to the KPA than Complex DRPE (C-DRPE) in which both amplitude and phase components are used as an encrypted image, no quantitative results about the relationship between the vulnerability and the plaintext image. In this paper, we show the result of quantitative analysis on KPA by PRA to C-DRPE and PO-DRPE, for the plaintext images of different characteristics. As a result of experiment, KPA to C-DRPE succeeded to estimate the correct key while the probability of success became lower when the number of non-zero pixel increases in the plaintext image. However, KPA to PO-DRPE enabled to estimate only "singular" keys, which are effective for no more than given plaintext/ciphertext image pair and far different from the correct encryption key. We also conducted KPA using two plaintext-ciphertext image pairs for KPA. In the case when two plaintext-ciphertext image pairs were given to KPA, the cryptanalysis succeeded with higher probability than the case of one. Moreover, the probability of success in the KPA was high even in PO-DRPE.

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.