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AIP conference proceedings

Optical information verification and authentication: Exploring sparsity constraints and optical encryption for enhanced security

Sawsan Sahib Abed, Zainab Fawzi Abed, AL-Hakam H. Omar

Published Jan 1, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The study of optical information verification and authentication has shown potential in research because of its processing speed, multi-dimensional aspects, and ability to process information in parallel. Optical authentication systems are essential, for ensuring communication and safeguarding data through confidentiality, verification, and authentication processes. Many research projects have been carried out to improve the knowledge and implementation of optical authentication systems. One major progress, in this area involves combining sparsity limitations with double random phase encoding (DRPE) which has been successful in guaranteeing data verification. Through the application of sparsity constraints encoded signals are made incomprehensible. Do not disclose any details, about the initial data yet still allow for authentication using nonlinear optical correlation methods. This article seeks to examine methods, for verifying information and data by incorporating limitations on sparsity and optical encryption to offer an insight into the subject. The research emphasizes the efficiency and potential applications of systems and strategies such as PhC DRPE, QR Bar Code Verification, Multi-Factor Verification and Authentication, and Authentication Utilizing Ghost Imaging with Reduced Realizations. The outcomes lay the groundwork, for developing optical security measures that advance communication, data protection, and authentication processes. The primary goal of choosing the methods utilized in this research is to investigate and assess data validation and authentication approaches that provide improved security by incorporating sparsity limitations and optical encryption. The techniques selected were aimed at investigating how sparsity restrictions and optical encryption could be utilized to improve security, in information validation and authentication setups. Through the examination of these strategies, the research seeks to add value to the advancement of more effective measures, for safeguarding confidential data and verifying data, gadgets, and individuals.

DOI
10.1063/5.0258878

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The study of optical information verification and authentication has shown potential in research because of its processing speed, multi-dimensional aspects, and ability to process information in parallel. Optical authentication systems are essential, for ensuring communication and safeguarding data through confidentiality, verification, and authentication processes. Many research projects have been carried out to improve the knowledge and implementation of optical authentication systems. One major progress, in this area involves combining sparsity limitations with double random phase encoding (DRPE) which has been successful in guaranteeing data verification. Through the application of sparsity constraints encoded signals are made incomprehensible. Do not disclose any details, about the initial data yet still allow for authentication using nonlinear optical correlation methods. This article seeks to examine methods, for verifying information and data by incorporating limitations on sparsity and optical encryption to offer an insight into the subject. The research emphasizes the efficiency and potential applications of systems and strategies such as PhC DRPE, QR Bar Code Verification, Multi-Factor Verification and Authentication, and Authentication Utilizing Ghost Imaging with Reduced Realizations. The outcomes lay the groundwork, for developing optical security measures that advance communication, data protection, and authentication processes. The primary goal of choosing the methods utilized in this research is to investigate and assess data validation and authentication approaches that provide improved security by incorporating sparsity limitations and optical encryption. The techniques selected were aimed at investigating how sparsity restrictions and optical encryption could be utilized to improve security, in information validation and authentication setups. Through the examination of these strategies, the research seeks to add value to the advancement of more effective measures, for safeguarding confidential data and verifying data, gadgets, and individuals.
In this paper, we develop a new optical information authentication system based on compressed double-random-phase-encoded images and quick-response (QR) codes, where the parameters of optical lightwave are used as keys for optical decryption and the QR code is a key for verification. An input image attached with QR code is first optically encoded in a simplified double random phase encoding (DRPE) scheme without using interferometric setup. From the single encoded intensity pattern recorded by a CCD camera, a compressed double-random-phase-encoded image, i.e., the sparse phase distribution used for optical decryption, is generated by using an iterative phase retrieval technique with QR code. We compare this technique to the other two methods proposed in literature, i.e., Fresnel domain information authentication based on the classical DRPE with holographic technique and information authentication based on DRPE and phase retrieval algorithm. Simulation results show that QR codes are effective on improving the security and data sparsity of optical information encryption and authentication system.
Complex holographic schemes are usually required to obtain complex-valued encrypted images that are used for verification in previously proposed authentication approaches based on photon-counting imaging and double-random-phase encoding (DRPE). In this paper, we propose an optical information encryption and authentication system by integrating the classical optical DRPE with a modified iterative phase retrieval algorithm using 2-D median filtering. Only the intensity of the encrypted data needs to be recorded during the optical encryption process, and a private phase distribution is generated by combining iterative phase retrieval and 2-D median filtering. Sparse representation for the phase distribution, but not for a complex-amplitude distribution, is used for decryption and verification. Simulation results demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach.
Abstract Information security and authentication are important challenges facing society. Recent attacks by hackers on the databases of large commercial and financial companies have demonstrated that more research and development of advanced approaches are necessary to deny unauthorized access to critical data. Free space optical technology has been investigated by many researchers in information security, encryption, and authentication. The main motivation for using optics and photonics for information security is that optical waveforms possess many complex degrees of freedom such as amplitude, phase, polarization, large bandwidth, nonlinear transformations, quantum properties of photons, and multiplexing that can be combined in many ways to make information encryption more secure and more difficult to attack. This roadmap article presents an overview of the potential, recent advances, and challenges of optical security and encryption using free space optics. The roadmap on optical security is comprised of six categories that together include 16 short sections written by authors who have made relevant contributions in this field. The first category of this roadmap describes novel encryption approaches, including secure optical sensing which summarizes double random phase encryption applications and flaws [Yamaguchi], the digital holographic encryption in free space optical technique which describes encryption using multidimensional digital holography [Nomura], simultaneous encryption of multiple signals [Pérez-Cabré], asymmetric methods based on information truncation [Nishchal], and dynamic encryption of video sequences [Torroba]. Asymmetric and one-way cryptosystems are analyzed by Peng. The second category is on compression for encryption. In their respective contributions, Alfalou and Stern propose similar goals involving compressed data and compressive sensing encryption. The very important area of cryptanalysis is the topic of the third category with two sections: Sheridan reviews phase retrieval algorithms to perform different attacks, whereas Situ discusses nonlinear optical encryption techniques and the development of a rigorous optical information security theory. The fourth category with two contributions reports how encryption could be implemented at the nano- or micro-scale. Naruse discusses the use of nanostructures in security applications and Carnicer proposes encoding information in a tightly focused beam. In the fifth category, encryption based on ghost imaging using single-pixel detectors is also considered. In particular, the authors [Chen, Tajahuerce] emphasize the need for more specialized hardware and image processing algorithms. Finally, in the sixth category, Mosk and Javidi analyze in their corresponding papers how quantum imaging can benefit optical encryption systems. Sources that use few photons make encryption systems much more difficult to attack, providing a secure method for authentication.
We investigate a full phase based photon-counting double-random-phase encryption (PC-DRPE) method. A photon-counting technique is applied during the encryption process creating sparse images. The statistical distribution of the photon-counting decrypted data for full phase encoding and amplitude phase encoding are derived and their statistical parameters are used for authentication. The performance of the full phase PC-DRPE is compared with the amplitude-based PC-DRPE method. The photon-counting decrypted images make it difficult to visually authenticate the input image; however, advanced correlation filters can be used to authenticate the decrypted images given the correct keys. Initial computational simulations show that the full phase PC-DRPE has the potential to require fewer photons for authentication than the amplitude-based PC-DRPE.\nIn addition, we propose an optical security method for object authentication using photon-counting encryption implemented with phase encoded QR codes. By combining the full phase double-random-phase encryption with photon-counting imaging method and applying an iterative Huffman coding technique, we are able to encrypt and compress an image containing primary information about the object. This data can then be stored inside of an optically phase encoded QR code for robust read out, decryption, and authentication. The optically encoded QR code is verified by examining the speckle signature of the optical masks using statistical analysis. Optical experimental results are presented to demonstrate the performance of the system. In addition, experiments with a commercial Smartphone to read the optically encoded QR code are presented. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on integrating photon-counting security with optically phase encoded QR codes.
We develop a phase-modulated optical system with sparse representation for information encoding and authentication. The optical cryptosystem is developed with cascaded phase-only masks, and the plaintext is encoded into the cascaded phase-only masks based on an iterative phase retrieval algorithm during the encryption. Two simple strategies are developed to generate sparse data: The sparse data are randomly generated from the extracted phase-only masks, and sparse data are randomly generated from the plaintext. These two sparsity strategies are respectively used in the proposed optical security system, and the decrypted images cannot visually render information about the plaintext. Optical authentication method is further applied to verify the decrypted images. It is illustrated that the optical authentication operation with sparsity strategy can provide an additional security layer for the optical security system.
A simultaneous optical triple-image encryption and verification method based on sparse information strategy was proposed. The information of the encoded images could be integrated into a sparse representation. Only sparse (partial) data from the encrypted information were adopted for verification process. In sparse strategy, the partial data was extracted from the encrypted distribution. For complex-valued distribution, the sparse strategy was applied to the amplitude; thus, only the sparse amplitude pixels kept the phase data for verification process. Therefore, the proposed method can effectively facilitate optical information transmission and storage, as only part of the encrypted information was adopted. In addition, the simultaneous encryption and authentication verification of three images was achieved. The results proved that the proposed method was feasible and effective, and can provide an additional security layer for optical security systems. Moreover, the method that demonstrated secure optical triple-image can lead to a high flexibility and variety compared to that of photon counting technique which required a specific device.