Meaningful ciphertext image encryption based on histogram shift and ND-ICM hyperchaos

A novel method for meaningful ciphertext image encryption is proposed in this paper. The method involves a series of steps, including image compression, histogram shift, and disordered cyclic shift scrambling under M-ary decomposition to generate noise-like ciphertext, followed by generalized least significant bit (GLSB) embedding and correction to produce meaningful ciphertext. In addition, a new N-dimensional infinite collapse discrete chaotic map (ND-ICM) is designed to generate pseudo-random sequences for controlling ciphertext generation. The combination of histogram shift and GLSB embedding significantly improves the quality of the ciphertext, and the ND-ICM is capable of adjusting dimensions as needed, exhibiting good chaotic properties. Experimental results demonstrate that the quality of the ciphertext produced by this algorithm is significantly superior to that of existing visual meaning image encryption algorithms, indicating a broad range of potential applications.