International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882

Volume 3 Issue 1, April 2014

A Novel Visual Cryptography Scheme Using Bit Rotation and Blowfish

Algorithm
Shipra Rathore
MATS school of Engg & Tech. Raipur

Nilmani Verma
MATS school of Engg & Tech. Raipur

Abstract
The safekeeping of digital information in modern
times is a vital issue. The Visual Cryptography (VC)
Arrangement is a protected process that encrypts a
secret image or document. The VC Scheme is a secure
method that encrypts a secret document by breaking it
into shares.A unique property of VC Structure is that
one can visually decode the secret image by
overlaying shares without computation.This paper
presents an approach for encrypting VC produced
image shares. In which password is associated with
input image then input image is transformed into
equivalent eight bit binary number and bit rotation
applied.F box of Blowfish 64-bit block cipherused for
providing the double security of secret document.
Blowfish is a fast algorithm and can encrypt data on
32-bit microprocessors at a rate of one byte every 26
clock cycles. This organisation provides more secure
secret shares that are robust against a number of
attacks & the system provides a durable security for
the digital information over the public network.

other types of secret sharing technique, the secret

image recovery of VCS does not involve any
computation. The secret image can be recovered by
simply superimposing at least a threshold number of
shares (i.e. transparencies). Several methods have been
developed for securing gray and color images,
including half toning [14], dithering [10], color sub
pixel groupings [6], and meaningful image shares [11,
2]. Through this expansion of the original method,
Visual Cryptography provides a secure way to store
and transmit text, binary images, gray images, and
color images. Since the original method was released
in 1994, there have been an abundance of variations,
modifications, and improvements added to the
collection of available Visual Cryptography
techniques. As the number of published methods
increase, a technique for evaluating the effectiveness,
quality, and ideal use of each of the algorithms is
necessary.

2. Literature Survey
Keywords: VC, VC shares, F Box, Blowfish Algorithm,
Cipher

1. Introduction
One of the best known techniques to protect data is
cryptography. It is the art of sending and receiving
encrypted messages that can be decrypted only by the
sender or the receiver. Encryption and decryption are
accomplished by using mathematical algorithms in
such a way that no one but the intended recipient can
decrypt and read the message. VCS is a cryptographic
technique that allows for the encryption of visual
information such that decryption can be performed
using the human visual system. The original method of
VC was proposed by Naor and Shamir [12] for binary
images. This provides a perfectly secure system where
secret messages are contained in shares Its idea is to
split a black-and- white secret image into a collection
of shares (printed on transparencies) which separately
reveal no information about the original secret image
other than the size of it. Individually these shares
resemble random noise, but when they are stacked and
aligned perfectly, their message is decrypted using
only the human visual system. While this method gives
security for text and binary images, the growth of
digital media requires the expansion of this technique
to provide security for gray and color images. Unlike

Various researches have been carried out in this area to

increase the security & visual quality of the secret
image. The simplest VC algorithm was given by Naor
and Shamir[12]
on visual cryptography. They
presented a 2 out of 2 scheme, in which 2 shares would
be generated (n = 2) for each image encrypted, while
decryption would require these 2 shares (k = 2) to be
super-imposed.Naor and Shamirconsider the problem
of encryption written material in a perfectly secure
way which can be decoded directly by the human
visual system. Basic model consist of a printed page of
cipher text and a printed transparency or secret key.
Noohul Basheer Zain Ali,James M Noras[16] use
Blowfish Algorithm for encryption and decryption,
BLOWFISH is a fast cryptographic software
algorithm, using the operations of addition, XOR and
look up tables. This also reports on the design of a
hardware implementation for greater speed, with
pipelining and different bit widths of registers and
processing units.
According to Somdip Dey [17] First, a number is
generated from the password and each pixel of the
image is converted to its equivalent eight binary
number, In second stage, extended hill cipher
technique is applied by using involuntary matrix,
which is generated by same password used in second
stage of encryption to make it more secure, In third
stage, generalized modified Vernam Cipher with

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3 Issue 1, April 2014
feedback mechanism is used on the file to create the
next level of encryption,Finally in fourth stage, the
whole image file is randomized multiple number of
times using modified MSA randomization encryption
technique and the randomization is dependent on
another number, which is generated from the password
provided for encryption method.
Kulvinder Kaur, Vineeta Khemchandani [18] presents
an approach for encrypting visual cryptographically
generated image shares using Public Key Encryption.
RSA algorithm is used for providing the double
security of secret document. Thus secret share are not
available in their actual form for any alteration by the
adversaries who try to create fake shares.
Pallavi V.Chavan Says [3] Hierarchical visual
cryptography encrypts the secret in number of levels.
Initially the secret is divided into exactly two share
called share 1 and share 2. Each share is then
encrypted independently resulting in four shares: share
11, share 12, share 21 and share 22. Later, among these
four shares, any three shares are chosen to generate the
key share. The superimposition of key share with the
remaining share reveals the secret information. The
superimposition is logically performed by the X-OR
operation. As the level of encryption in hierarchical
visual cryptography increases, the secrecy tends to
increase.

Existing schemes were only valid for binary

images.
Encrypted image requisite large bandwidth over
network.
Short Length of the key.
Hence with the growth of digital media, it has become
more prevalent to find a method to protect the security
of that media. An effective method for securely
transmitting images is found in the field of Visual
Cryptography. Hence research in visual cryptography
(VC) is towards maintaining the contrast at the same
time maintaining the security.

4. Proposed Methodology
The proposed scheme generates the VC shares using
basic Visual Cryptography model and then encrypt
both shares using F Box Blow Fish algorithm. So that
the secret shares will be more secure and shares are
protected from the malicious adversaries.

3. Problem Identification
Existing schemes generates the VC shares using basic
Visual Cryptography model. Then encryption of both
shares has been done using RSA algorithm of Public
Key Cryptography.So that the secret shares became
more secure and shares are protected from the
malevolent. During the decryption phase, secret shares
are extracted by RSA decryption algorithm & stacked
to reveal the secret image.
Fig-2: Block Diagram of Proposed Methodology
4.1 Generating shares of secret image
It consists of generation of shares from secret image
using VC (2, 2) scheme. The secret image is first
converted into a binary image then each pixel in the
secret image is broken into 8 sub pixels, 4 pixels in
each share by selecting the random pixel encoding
scheme out of three given in Fig.3.

Fig.-1 Block Diagram of Existing Methodology

Existing schemes having following limitation:-

Fig.-3 Pixel encoding schemes

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3 Issue 1, April 2014
Algorithm
Procedure NVC()
Step-1 Input RGB Image (Secret).
Step-2 RGB Image Converted into Grayscale Image.
Step-3 IM Image-conversion (Gray Image)
Step-4 New-Image Bit -Rotation (IM).
Step-5 Share-generation (New-Image).
Step-6 Encryption Using F box of Blowfish
Algorithm.
Step-7 Decode Secret
Step-8 Reverse Bit Rotation
Step-9 Original image as output in Grayscale.
End

4.2Blowfish Algorithm
Blowfish is a symmetric-key block cipher. Blowfish
has a 64-bit block size and a variable key length from
32 bits up to 448 bits. Key expansion consists of
generating the initial contents of one array (the P
array), namely, eighteen 32-bit sub-keys, and four
arrays (the S-boxes), each of size 256 by 32 bits, from
a key of at most 448 bits (56 bytes).

Procedure Image-conversion (Gray Image)

//Input: .jpg image/.bmp image
IMG=read ()
BIN_IMG=Convert_to_binary (IMG)
[R_size C_size]=Cal_size (BIN_IMG)
End
Procedure Share-generation()
//Input: BIN_IMG(Binary Image)
for i=1 TO R_size
Do
for j=1 TO C_size
Do
Pix_enc_scheme=Rand_select()
SHARE1=Pix_enc_scheme(BIN_IMG(i,j))
SHARE 2=Pix_enc_scheme(BIN_IMG(I,j))
End for
End for
End

Fig-4 Structure of Blowfish

Procedure Bit-Rotation (Image)

1. A password is given along with input image.
2. Value of each pixel of input image is converted
into equivalent eight bit binary number.
3. Now we add the ASCII Value of each byte of
the password and generate a number from the
password.
4. This number is used for the Bits Rotation and
Reversal technique.
5. This generated number will be then modular
operated by 7 to produce the effective number
(NR)
6. Let N be the number generated from the
password.
7. NR =N mod 7
/* Suppose, (NR) = 5.
Input Pixel Value (Decimal to Binary) is=
B1B2B3B4B5B6B7B7B8
Output Pixel Value is= B6B7B8B5B4B3B2B1 */
End

Fig-5 Function of F-Box

5. Experimental Results
Proposed arrangement has been executed in MATLAB
version 7.5.0.342 (R2007b). To run this scheme
minimum hardware configuration is required with no
extra specifications. The experiments have been run in
Windows 7. Following output shows the Original RGB
image is converted into Grey Binary Image.

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
Volume 3 Issue 1, April 2014
(I)

Input Image

(II) Secrete Share

Proposed algorithm, which Entropy value is higher is the best, here blow fish algorithms entropy value is higher than
RSA. Entropy value calculated by using cipher text image (encrypted image).

6. Conclusion

References

With the rapid evolution of digital media, it is

becoming vital to find a method to protect the security
of that media. An effective method for securely
transmitting images is found in the field of Visual
Cryptography. In our work Bit Rotation and F box of
Blowfish Algorithm used for providing the double
security of secret document. This organisation
provides more secure secret shares that are robust
against a number of attacks & the system provides a
durable security for the digital information over the
public network.

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International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), ISSN 2278 0882
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