HCSSIR: Hash Code Selection-Based Secure Image Retrieval in a Blockchain Environment
Tianyu Han, Jiangming Kan, Ruifang Dong, Xixuan Zhao, Shun Yao · IEEE Internet of Things Journal · 2025
In the context of real-world IoT implementations, the delivery of images within blockchain environments is becoming increasingly crucial. However, the multi-table hashing technologies currently used for retrieval suffer from considerable redundancy in tables, leading to diminished performance of the distributed system. To address these challenges, we propose a Hash Code Selection-Based Secure Image Retrieval (HCSSIR) scheme for data sharing and secure retrieval on the blockchain. Firstly, we introduce a learning-based method to shorten hash codes. Initial long hash codes are generated using LSH families for high efficiency and accuracy. The most informative hash tables are then selected based on a learning model that has been pretrained on a dataset specifically prepared for this purpose. This approach aims to reduce space and computational requirements, potentially further decreasing time consumption. Next, a cryptographic hierarchical index structure based on the compressed hash codes is designed, along with its construction and searching methods. We also create a secure Hamming distance computation algorithm to preserve the index features and access patterns. Finally, proxy re-encryption is adapted to ensure data availability in multi-user settings. We offer a security analysis to confirm that the HCSSIR scheme effectively protects the privacy of images, indexes, and queries. Furthermore, the proposed selection method achieves an approximate 12.3% enhancement in F1-score for code compression when compared with the cutting-edge method. Additionally, the HCSSIR scheme registers improvements of approximately 27.58% and 56.7% in searching and storage efficiencies, respectively. These results underscore its suitability for real-world IoT applications.Encrypted images are becoming crucial in IoT implementations, particularly with the use of blockchain to enhance security and equalization. However, many existing solutions primarily focus on improving retrieval and exchange performance on cloud servers, often neglecting distributed environments where the data volume is large. To address these challenges, we propose a Hash Code Selection-Based Secure Image Retrieval (HCSSIR) scheme for data sharing and secure retrieval on the blockchain. Hashing has been regarded as an effective approach for rapidly conducting nearest neighbor searches across extensive databases. Nonetheless, current multi-table hashing techniques are plagued by considerable redundancy in tables, resulting in increased computational and storage demands on the smart contract. We first propose a learning-based hash code selection method to choose informative hash tables and reconstruct robust shortened hash codes according to the input images. Next, we design a cryptographic hierarchical index structure based on the compressed hash codes. We also design a secure Hamming distance computation algorithm to preserve the index features and access patterns. Finally, proxy re-encryption is adapted to ensure data availability in multi-user settings. Security analyses and experimental results confirm the robustness and efficiency of our scheme, highlighting its potential for secure, scalable IoT applications.