A fast image encryption method by using chaotic 3D cat maps

An image encryption method using a chaotic 3D cat map is presented in this paper. The process of the proposed algorithm contains the simultaneous operations of pixels’ locations permutation and pixels’ values substitution at every iterative step of the chaotic map, which making the forward and reverse encryption needs only one traverse of the image pixels. Moreover, a perturbation is introduced to eliminate the undesirable finite precision effect of computer in realization. The main advantages of such a secure method are the simplicity and efficiency. Both simulations and analysis show the proposed algorithm can produce a large key space and resist the common existing cipher attacks. These good cryptographic properties make it suitable for image applications.