Image Encryption and Decryption Using AES Algorithm
1. Techniques Used
Your project uses AES-GCM (Advanced Encryption Standard in Galois/Counter Mode) with
PBKDF2 for key derivation. Below are the key techniques:
✔ Cipher Algorithm: AES/GCM/NoPadding
✔ Key Derivation: PBKDF2WithHmacSHA256
✔ Encryption Mode: AES Counter (CTR) Mode with GCM for authentication
✔ Key Size: Supports 128-bit, 192-bit, or 256-bit encryption
✔ Initialization Vector (IV): 12-byte randomly generated IV
✔ Authentication Tag: 128-bit tag to prevent tampering
✔ Secure Random Salt: 16-byte salt to strengthen password security
✔ Password-Based Key Generation: Uses PBKDF2 with 65,536 iterations to slow brute-force
attacks
2. Future Scope & Applications
Your program can be extended for broader applications in different domains:
✔ Cybersecurity & Privacy – Used for securing confidential images in personal & corporate
environments.
✔ Medical Data Security – Encrypt X-rays, MRIs, and medical reports for compliance with
HIPAA and GDPR.
✔ Cloud Security – Encrypt images before uploading them to Google Drive, Dropbox, or
AWS.
✔ Forensic & Legal Use – Secure evidence images in law enforcement and cyber forensics.
✔ Secure Image Sharing – Protect sensitive images shared over emails, messaging apps, and
online platforms.
✔ Corporate & Intellectual Property – Prevent data leaks and unauthorized access to
proprietary images.
Future Enhancements
✔ Steganography – Hiding encrypted data inside images.
✔ Blockchain Integration – Store encrypted image hashes on a decentralized ledger for
integrity.
✔ Facial Recognition-Based Encryption – Encrypt/decrypt based on biometric
authentication.
✔ Mobile & Web Versions – Expand support for Android, iOS, and cloud platforms.
✔ Multi-File Encryption – Support batch processing for bulk encryption & decryption.
3. Encryption & Decryption Process
Encryption Process (How It Works?)
✔ User selects an image file for encryption.
✔ User enters a password for encryption.
✔ PBKDF2 generates an AES key from the password (with salt & 65,536 iterations).
✔ AES-GCM encrypts the image file:
✔ - A random 12-byte IV is generated.
✔ - AES runs in Counter (CTR) mode.
✔ - The image bytes are XORed with AES-encrypted counters to produce ciphertext.
✔ - A 128-bit authentication tag is generated to prevent tampering.
✔ Final Encrypted File Structure: Salt (16 bytes) + IV (12 bytes) + Ciphertext +
Authentication Tag (128-bit).
✔ Encrypted file is saved with a `.enc` extension.
Decryption Process (How It Works?)
✔ User selects an encrypted `.enc` file.
✔ User enters the same password used for encryption.
✔ PBKDF2 regenerates the AES key from the password.
✔ AES-GCM decrypts the image:
✔ - Extracts the salt, IV, and authentication tag from the file.
✔ - Verifies the authentication tag (if it doesn’t match, decryption fails).
✔ - Decrypts using AES in CTR mode, producing the original image data.
✔ Decrypted image is displayed and can be saved.
Conclusion
✔ Your project follows a secure encryption model using AES-GCM & PBKDF2.
✔ It has a wide range of applications in security, forensics, and cloud storage.
✔ Future enhancements can include mobile versions, steganography, and blockchain
integration.
