Enhancing Image Security with Memristor Driven Fractional Chaotic Systems and Secretary Bird Optimization

The extensive utilization of information and communication technologies nowadays enhances information accessibility and underscores the importance of information and data security. Image encryption is a prevalent technique for safeguarding medical data on public networks, serving a vital function in the healthcare sector. Due to their intricate dynamics, memristors are frequently employed in the creation of innovative chaotic systems that enhance the efficacy of chaos-based encryption techniques. In recent years, chaos-based encryption methods have surfaced as a viable method for safeguarding the confidentiality of transmitted images. Memristor-based Fractional-order chaotic systems (MFOCS) have garnered considerable interest because to their resilience and intricacy. Fractional-order chaotic systems (FOCS) exhibit more intricate dynamics than integer-order chaotic systems. Consequently, the exploration of fractional chaotic systems for the development of picture cryptosystems has gained popularity recently. This research introduces an innovative image encryption framework utilizing a memristor-based fractional chaotic map in conjunction with the Secretary Bird Optimization Algorithm (SBOA) to improve security and resilience against cryptographic threats. The suggested method utilizes the distinctive memory properties and high-dimensional chaotic dynamics of the memristor-based fractional system to produce unpredictable encryption keys. The SBOA is utilized to enhance essential encryption parameters, guaranteeing superior randomness and resilience against statistical and differential assaults. The encryption method comprises a confusion phase, in which pixel positions are randomized using chaotic sequences, succeeded by a diffusion phase, where pixel intensities are altered utilizing optimal key sequences. Performance evaluation is executed by entropy analysis, correlation coefficient tests, NPCR, UACI, and studies of computational complexity. The findings indicate that the suggested method attains elevated entropy, minimal correlation, and robust key sensitivity, rendering it exceptionally resilient against brute-force and differential assaults. Notwithstanding its computing burden from fractional-order chaotic dynamics, the suggested model offers a secure and efficient encryption method appropriate for real-time image protection applications.