https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-026-07730-5
Regular Article
Color image encryption based on 3D-LECCS-driven chaotic dynamic partitioning and coding cascaded diffusion
1
College of Information Engineering, Dalian Ocean University, 116023, Dalian, China
2
School of Cyber Security, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), 250353, Jinan, China
3
School of Information Science and Technology, Dalian Maritime University, 116026, Dalian, China
4
School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, 730070, Lanzhou, China
5
Command and Management Teaching and Research Section, Unit 32580 of Chinese People’s Liberation Army, 423000, Chenzhou, China
a
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Received:
13
March
2026
Accepted:
20
April
2026
Published online:
6
May
2026
Abstract
At present, low-dimensional chaotic systems have deficiencies such as insufficient randomness, limited key space, and uneven sequence distribution, which make the security performance and anti-attack ability of the color image encryption algorithms constructed based on them insufficient and easy to be cracked, thus restricting the application of chaotic theory in the field of image encryption. In response to the above issues, this paper first constructs a three-dimensional dynamical system and proposes a three-dimensional logarithmic-exponential type trigonometrically (sin, cos) coupled chaotic dynamical system (3D-LECCS), this 3D-LECCS is explicitly defined as a globally bounded volume-expanding hyperchaotic system. Meanwhile, through bifurcation diagrams, Lyapunov exponents, sample entropy, permutation entropy, 0–1 chaotic state determination, NIST, and multistability analysis, the hyperchaotic characteristics and complex phase space motion behavior of 3D-LECCS are verified. Secondly, by leveraging the cryptographic properties of this system, a dynamic mapping cascaded encoding encryption mechanism for color images driven by 3D-LECCS (LECCS-CIEA) is designed. This scheme builds a strong nonlinear coupling correlation among the RGB three channels of color images through dynamic spatial partitioning cross-channel remapping and encoding cascaded XOR diffusion strategy. Finally, through theoretical analysis and simulation experiments, it is verified that LECCS-CIEA has good security and anti-attack ability. At the same time, the excellent chaotic performance of 3D-LECCS is also verified, confirming its reliability as an encryption entropy source.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
