A new fast multiple color image encryption algorithm

Abstract This article proposes a novel multiple-image encryption algorithm (MIEA) that utilizes parallel processing. The proposed MIEA combines multiple plain images, forming a plain image cube. The proposed MIEA is based on the generation and logical XORing of novel pseudo-random encryption keys from the hyperchaotic 4D Chen system and the Mersenne Twister, as well as the construction of six novel S-boxes from the hyperchaotic 4D Chen system and their application on each of the RGB color channels of the image cube, and each of its axial directions ( x , y , z ). The proposed MIEA is shown to be highly secure, highly efficient, and robust against a multitude of attacks. Average computed performance evaluation metrics values include an MSE of 10281.1, PSNR of 8.07 dB, MAE of 82.82, information entropy of 7.999, NPCR of $$99.62\%$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>99.62</mml:mn> <mml:mo>%</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> , and UACI of $$33.3\%$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>33.3</mml:mn> <mml:mo>%</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> . Moreover, images are encrypted at a rate of 96.4 Mbps, and a key space $$2^{4624}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msup> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> <mml:mn>4624</mml:mn> </mml:msup> </mml:math> is achieved. Bit-streams of encrypted images are shown to pass the NIST SP-800 statistical suite of tests successfully. The proposed MIEA is a novel and prime candidate for the real-time secure transmission of batches of images in industrial informatics milieu.