Quaternion-based Encryption/Decryption of Audio Signal Using Digital Image as Variable Key

Abstract

With the rapid growth of communication technology, cryptography plays a significant role in securing and verification of information exchanged via public communication channels.   The current paper introduces a novel method for encrypting/decrypting audio signal using a selected digital image as a complicated key and cover for audio signal.  Each sample of the audio signal is combined with the values of the three color components of a pixel fetched from the cover image yielding a quaternion number.   The absolute value of this quaternion number is then transmitted and when received, the original value of the audio sample can be extracted using simple quaternion mathematics. A second level of complexity can be added to this approach by applying one of the well-known cryptographic techniques (symmetric or asymmetric).   The suggested approach is implemented using Matlab simulation software and the generated audio signal is compared with the original one using some performance metrics.  The obtained results show that the proposed approach is robust and more secure against cryptanalysis attacks.