A weighted discrete imperialist competitive algorithm (WDICA) combined with chaotic map for image encryption

• This study is the first application of weighted discrete imperialist competitive algorithm in this field.
• This paper presents optimize entropy and correlation coefficient simultaneously.
• This presented method is superior to available methods in literature.

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the security of digital images. This study focuses on binary image encryption using the weighted discrete imperialist competitive algorithm (WDICA).In the proposed method, a chaotic map is first used to create a specified number of cipher images. Then, to improve the results, WDICA is applied to the cipher images. In this study, entropy and correlation coefficient are used as WDICA's fitness functions. The goal is to maximize the entropy and minimize correlation coefficients. The advantage of this method is its ability to optimize the outcome of all iterations using WDICA. Simulation results show that WDICA not only demonstrates excellent encryption but also resists various typical attacks. The obtained correlation coefficient and entropy of the proposed WDICA are approximately 0.004 and 7.9994, respectively.