Real-time RGB image encryption for IoT applications using enhanced sequences from chaotic maps

Abstract Four chaotic maps are used herein as case study to design an embedded cryptosystem based on a pseudo-random number generator (PRNG). The randomness of the sequences is enhanced by applying the m o d 1023 function and verified by analyzing bifurcation diagrams, the maximum Lyapunov exponent, and performing NIST SP 800-22 and TestU01 statistical tests. The PRNG is applied in a simple algorithm for real-time RGB images encryption on a machine-to-machine (M2M) scheme, using message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) protocol over WiFi network and through Internet. The cryptanalysis confirms that the proposed image encryption scheme is robust to resist most of the existing attacks, such as statistical histograms, entropy, key-space, correlation of adjacent pixels, and differential attacks. The implementation of the proposed cryptosystem is done using enhanced sequences from the Logistic 1D map, and it reaches a throughput of up to 47.44 Mbit/s using a personal computer with a 2.9 GHz clock, and 10.53 Mbit/s using a Raspberry Pi 4. As a result, our proposed embedded cryptosystem is suitable to increase the security in the transmission of RGB images in real-time through WiFi networks and Internet.