Design and implementation of image data sharing through a visual cryptography system with one-time password authentication

Visual Cryptography (VC) is a method of encryption that allows images to be encrypted in such a manner that their decryption can be accomplished simply by viewing, which eliminates the need for complex algorithms. This method is crucial for protecting the sensitive visual data during transmission, which ensures its confidentiality. In light of this, the current research proposes a new method called Self-Improved Secretary Bird Optimization algorithm (SI-SBO)-based Visual Cryptography, which aims to enhance the security and efficiency of image encryption. Embedding and Extraction are the two main processes in this proposed method. The initial input for this method consists of three original and two secret images. The encryption employs a sharing image construction method based on Modified Principal Component Analysis (MPCA), followed by Kronecker product-based encryption using keys produced by the SI-SBO algorithm. A one-time password (OTP) is created using the HMAC-based One-time Password (HOTP) technique and integrated into a Modified Elliptic Curve Cryptography (MECC) algorithm, which is then securely sent to the client. For decryption, the process starts with MECC-based decryption, followed by Kronecker product-based decryption using the OTP for authentication. Finally, the MPCA-based encryption is decrypted, and the original secret images are reconstructed. The significance of this SI-SBO method lies in its capacity to improve security by integrating multiple encryption techniques and protective measures. To assess its effectiveness, the method has undergone several evaluations, which confirm its ability to securely transmit and reconstruct secret images in Visual Cryptography applications.