An image encryption scheme using 4-D chaotic system and cellular automaton.

This paper proposes an innovative image encryption scheme exploiting the chaotic nature of a four-dimensional chaotic system and the computational capability of Langton's Ant cellular automaton. Traditional three-dimensional chaotic systems often have restricted key space and limited complexity, making them vulnerable to cryptanalysis. To address these limitations, the proposed scheme integrates multi-layered transformations, including chaotic diffusion, symbolic encoding, and dynamic keystream generation. Comprehensive security analyses demonstrate that the proposed scheme achieves near-optimal results, including a large key space of approximately 1[Formula: see text], high entropy (7.9977), and excellent differential attack resistance indicated by NPCR ( 99.61%) and UACI ( 33.44%) metrics. The proposed method effectively disrupts pixel correlations, providing robust protection against various cryptographic threats. These results confirm that our encryption approach offers a secure, efficient, and practical solution for protecting multimedia data in modern digital communication systems.