An Efficient Visual Cryptography Methods for Secure Image Transmission in IoT Communication Networks: Challenges and Advancements

The efficient Visual Cryptography (VC) methods for ensuring secure image transmission in IoT communication networks. Large volumes of multimedia data are generated and exchanged by IoT devices, maintaining confidentiality and integrity is critical. VC inherent ability to encode images into multiple shares that require no complex computations for decryption, offers a lightweight and secure solution ideal for resource-constrained IoT environments. The survey examines various VC schemes including (k, n) threshold, probabilistic, and extended VC models highlighting their strengths, limitations, and applicability to IoT networks. It also evaluates advancements such as hybrid VC approaches, color image processing, and pixel expansion reduction techniques aimed at enhancing security and transmission efficiency. Key challenges such as vulnerability to noise, high computational demands in large-scale networks, and trade-offs between security and quality are discussed. The survey identifies future directions focusing on integrating artificial intelligence, blockchain, and federated learning to improve secure image transmission in IoT ecosystems.