Title: A secure algorithm for biometric-based digital image watermarking in DCT domain

Authors: Malay Kishore Dutta; Anushikha Singh; K.M. Soni

Addresses: Amity School of Engineering and Technology, Amity University, Sector – 125, Noida (U.P.) – PIN-201303, India ' Amity School of Engineering and Technology, Amity University, Sector – 125, Noida (U.P.) – PIN-201303, India ' Amity School of Engineering and Technology, Amity University, Sector – 125, Noida (U.P.) – PIN-201303, India

Abstract: This paper addresses the problem of ownership of digital watermark by inserting a biometric-based watermark in the digital host signal. The biometric-based digital watermark is made secure using an encryption technique using Arnold catmap before embedding. Biometric-based watermark is a potential solution of watermark ownership which can be physically or logically owned to prove ownership. This joint encryption and watermarking scheme has the potential of addressing the ownership of digital signals and keep the biometric data secure. Arnold transformation is used to encrypt the biometric data and discrete cosine transformation is used for embedding the watermark in the image. The watermarking method is chosen so that the data payload demand is met keeping the requirements of perceptual transparency and robustness. Experimental results of perceptual transparency indicates that the method maintains a good quality of transparency with a SNR more than 25 dB for the images. The proposed watermarking method is robust to signal processing attacks and the watermarks were identified using minutia feature point matching under these attacks. The overall design requirements of transparency, robustness and data payload are achieved optimally in this paper.

Keywords: digital image watermarking; image encryption; Arnold transformation; digital rights management; robustness; perceptual transparency; biometrics; digital images; DCT; discrete cosine transformation; digital watermarks; cryptography; data security; watermark ownership; signal processing attacks.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCVR.2014.059369

International Journal of Computational Vision and Robotics, 2014 Vol.4 No.1/2, pp.99 - 114

Received: 26 Mar 2013
Accepted: 30 Jul 2013
Published online: 21 Jun 2014 *

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