A Dynamic and Competitive Algorithm for Image Encryption Based on RNA, Novel 3D Hyper-chaos, and Evolutionary Optimization
Ali Beygrezaee, Seyed Ahmad Olamaei, Iman Ahanian · OICC Press Journals · 2025
In the era of massive image data and rapidly expanding digital communications, ensuring the security of visual information has become a critical challenge. Classical encryption methods, although effective at basic levels, often fail against advanced statistical and cryptanalytic attacks, which highlights the urgent need for innovative approaches. This paper introduces a novel and dynamic hybrid algorithm for robust and competitive image encryption, designed through the integration of RNA-inspired operators, newly developed three-dimensional hyper-chaotic maps, and evolutionary optimization using GSA and ACO. In the proposed framework, RNA codons and 3D hyper-chaotic systems inject high levels of complexity and unpredictability into the encryption process, thereby significantly enhancing security and resistance against diverse attacks. At the same time, the evolutionary operators establish a mechanism of dynamic competition and adaptive optimization, ensuring greater robustness, adaptability, and efficiency. Unlike traditional static encryption schemes, the proposed method transforms encryption into an active competitive process in which multiple candidate outputs are generated, evaluated, and optimized to achieve the most secure result. The key innovation of this research lies in shifting image encryption from a passive transformation into an intelligent, competitive, and optimized framework. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves high entropy, strong resistance to correlation, and superior NPCR and UACI values. These findings confirm its potential as a generalizable model for advancing security in broader cryptographic domains.