A verifiable multi-secret image sharing scheme based on DNA encryption

A multi-secret image sharing (MSIS) scheme facilitates the secure distribution of multiple images among a group of participants. Several MSIS schemes have been proposed with a (n, n) structure that encodes secret input images into n share images. This encoding ensures that if a subset of participants collude, no information about the secret images can be revealed. The secret images can only be recovered if all participants cooperate. Most of these schemes are built using basic Boolean operations, primarily XOR operations. MSIS schemes that rely on Boolean logic offer various benefits compared to other methods, such as the ability to recover data without any loss, no increase in pixel size, and efficient computation. This article presents a verifiable MSIS scheme that relies on a secure two-variable one-way function and a secure hash function. The scheme allows for independent verification of both the dealer and the participants to detect any cheating attempts. The proposed scheme utilizes the Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) encryption technique to leverage the inherent benefits of DNA computing, such as enhanced security, fast computation, minimal storage needs, and low power usage. The share images produced by the proposed scheme exhibit an average entropy of 7.99, indicating that the generated 8-bit share images are completely random. Additionally, the correlation coefficient is approximately 0.005, suggesting that neighboring pixels in the images are not related to each other. The proposed scheme can detect any instance of cheating, whether it is done by the dealer or by a participant.