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Cited by 4Chaos-based Image/Signal EncryptionCryptographic Implementations and SecuritySynthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Applications and Techniques

Evaluation and Analysis of Interferograms from an InSAR Radar Encrypted by an AES-Based Cryptosystem with The Five Encryption Modes

Open access
(LABGET) Laboratory, Larbi Tébessi Tébessa University, Tébessa-12000, Algeria, Saidi, Riad, Bentahar, Tarek, (LABGET) Laboratory, Larbi Tébessi Tébessa University, Tébessa-12000, Algeria, Cherrid, Nada, Electronic Department, Mostapha Benboulaid Batna-2 University, Batna- 05000, Algeria, Bentahar, Atef, (LAMIS) Laboratory, Larbi Tébessi Tébessa University, Tébessa-12000, Algeria +2 more·2020·International Journal on Electrical Engineering and Informatics
DOI 10.15676/ijeei.2020.12.4.13
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Abstract

This paper falls within the framework of the security of satellite images, in particular interferograms from an Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (inSAR) system. The innovation of this work consists in the application of a cryptosystem based on two algorithms Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and the Rivest, Shamir and Adleman (RSA) encryption algorithm for securing interferograms of inSAR systems. AES employs five encryption modes Electronic Code Book (ECB), Cipher Bloc Chaining (CBC), Cipher FeedBack (CFB), Output FeedBack (OFB), and counter-mode encryption (CTR). The use of the AES algorithm alone can only ensure the confidentiality function. In the proposed cryptosystem confidentiality is ensured by the AES algorithm, authenticity is guaranteed by the RSA algorithm, and integrity is ensured by two parameters; the correlation function between the adjacent pixels and the SSIM parameters (structural similarity index SSIM). For evaluation and analysis of security performance for interferogram encryption, several test metrics are employed. These metrics are: Analysis of histograms of the encrypted interferograms, correlation between the adjacent pixels, between the original interferogram and the encrypted interferogram, SSIM between the original interferogram and the decrypted one. Moreover, we exploit the analysis of resistance to error propagation for the five modes. The obtained results show a superiority of the OFB and CTR modes for the encryption of inSAR interferograms compared to ECB, CFB, and CBC modes. It is noteworthy, that the main criteria that can be used to choose between OFB and CTR for encryption of satellite images are propagation of errors and the complexity material for their locations on the edges of the satellites propagation of errors and the complexity material for their locations on the edges of the satellites. OFB mode is employed in satellites to minimize the number of on-board circuits, which is decisive for satellites. CTR mode is recommended by the CCSDS (Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems) for telemetry (TM) and remote control (TC) encryption.

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

The paper proposes a hybrid AES-RSA cryptosystem to secure InSAR interferograms and compares AES’s five encryption modes (ECB, CBC, CFB, OFB, CTR). It reports that OFB and CTR are the most favorable modes, with CTR achieving SSIM = 1 for all three tested interferograms and OFB/CTR avoiding error propagation during transmission.

Key findings

  • Histograms of encrypted interferograms were uniform and different from the original histograms for all five modes (ECB, CBC, CFB, OFB, CTR), satisfying confidentiality.
  • SSIM between original and decrypted interferograms was close to 1 for all modes; CTR gave SSIM = 1 for Int1, Int2, and Int3, while ECB gave 0.9984, 1, and 1; CBC gave 0.9986, 0.9976, and 1; CFB gave 0.9968, 0.9976, and 1; OFB gave 0.9968, 0.9976, and 1.
  • Error-propagation results in Table 4 report no propagation during transmission for OFB and CTR, while CBC and CFB affect two blocks and ECB affects one block.
  • The paper concludes OFB and CTR are superior for InSAR interferogram encryption; OFB is used in satellites to reduce on-board circuits, and CTR is recommended by CCSDS for telemetry (TM) and remote control (TC) encryption.

Methods

  • Proposed hybrid cryptosystem: AES provides confidentiality using five modes (ECB, CBC, CFB, OFB, CTR); RSA secures key exchange and authentication; integrity is checked via adjacent-pixel correlation and SSIM, plus comparison after phase unwrapping.
  • Three InSAR interferograms from different regions were used: Sardinia (Aug 2, 1991; orbit 241; baseline 126 m; residue rate 0.0621%), Chilcotin (Apr 11, 1995; baseline 42 m; residue rate 0.0151%), and Vatnajökull (Dec 31, 1995; orbit 23315; residue rate 0.0112%).
  • Simulation and analysis were performed in Matlab on a 2.53 GHz Pentium i5 PC with Windows 7 and 4 GB RAM; metrics included histogram analysis, correlation coefficients, SSIM, error propagation, and SSIM after unwrapping.

Limitations

  • The paper does not state a limitations section. Evident from the text: only three interferograms were tested, evaluation is simulation-only, and no hardware/on-board satellite validation or runtime/throughput measurements are reported.
  • Table 2 reports OFB adjacent-pixel correlation coefficients near 1 (e.g., 0.9993 horizontal, 1 vertical, 0.9997 diagonal for Int1), which conflicts with the text’s claim that encrypted interferograms are strongly decorrelated; the paper does not reconcile this.
  • Table 4’s OFB encryption entry says “Full data from the point where the fault occurred,” which complicates the paper’s broader claim that OFB blocks are independent; this inconsistency is evident in the text.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.15676/ijeei.2020.12.4.13

Cites

19 of 19 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

0 of 12 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

  • Findingown data

    The obtained results show a superiority of OFB and CTR modes for encryption of InSAR interferograms compared to ECB, CFB, and CBC modes.

    “The obtained results show a superiority of the OFB and CTR modes for the encryption of in-SAR interferograms compared to ECB, CFB, and CBC modes.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: OFB mode is employed in satellites to minimize the number of on-board circuits, which is decisive for satellites.
  • Findingown data

    The SSIM values between unwound decrypted interferograms and unwound original interferograms are very close to the optimal values.

    “The above table shows clearly that the obtained values are very close to the optimal values.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingown data

    Encrypted interferograms obtained from different modes retain low correlation coefficients (positive correlation) in all directions.

    “It can be clearly seen that the encrypted interferograms obtained from different modes retain low correlation coefficients (positive correlation) in all directions”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingown data

    The histograms of the encrypted interferograms are uniform for all five AES operating modes (ECB, CBC, CFB, OFB, CTR), satisfying the confidentiality criterion.

    “The results show that the histograms of the encrypted images are uniform for all operating modes (ECB, CBC, CFB, OFB, CTR), which satisfy the confidentiality criterion.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingown data

    A pixel change in the original interferogram causes a difference between the histograms of C1 and C2, showing error propagation.

    “From figure 15, we can clearly see, if we consider that the pixel change is an error, see its influence and the propagation of the error from C1 to C2, through the difference that exists between the histogram of C1 and C2.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims. 5
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 15
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    SSIM values for the CTR mode are optimal and equal to 1.

    “Furthermore, SSIM values for the CTR mode are optimal and equal to 1”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Findingnone given

    The other modes (ECB, CFB, CBC) have given good results.

    “the other modes (ECB, CFB, CBC) have given good results.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisereasoning

    In the proposed cryptosystem, confidentiality is ensured by AES, authenticity by RSA, and integrity by the correlation function between adjacent pixels and SSIM.

    “In the proposed cryptosystem confidentiality is ensured by the AES algorithm, authenticity is guaranteed by the RSA algorithm, and integrity is ensured by two parameters; the correlation function between the adjacent pixels and the SSIM parameters (structural similarity index SSIM).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Premisenone given

    AES alone can ensure only confidentiality.

    “The use of the AES algorithm alone can only ensure the confidentiality function.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    AES is the standard approved by NIST for symmetric data encryption.

    “The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is the standard approved by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for symmetric data encryption [14].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [14]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    AES is the only standard recommended by CCSDS for encrypting data on board satellites.

    “In addition, AES is the only standard recommended by the CCSDS for encrypting data on board satellites [15].”
    • Also stated in: § 1. Introduction · plain
      “But also, it is important to remember that AES is the algorithm recommended by the CCSDS (Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems) for the encryption of data for civil space missions.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [15]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Interpretationnone given

    The main criteria for choosing between OFB and CTR for encryption of satellite images are propagation of errors and the complexity of material for their locations on the edges of satellites.

    “It is noteworthy, that the main criteria that can be used to choose between OFB and CTR for encryption of satellite images are propagation of errors and the complexity material for their locations on the edges of the satellites propagation of errors and the complexity material for their locations on the edges of the satellites.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: OFB mode is employed in satellites to minimize the number of on-board circuits, which is decisive for satellites.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    CTR mode allows several ciphers to be performed in parallel because there is no feedback or sequential processing of blocks.

    “In this mode, unlike the others, there is no feedback or sequential processing of the blocks.Consequently, it is possible to perform several ciphers in parallel, a significant advantage in high performance applications [25].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [25]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationreasoning

    OFB mode is chosen for use in satellites because it allows reducing the number of on-board circuits.

    “Consequently, OFB mode is chosen for use in satellites since it allows us to reduce the number of on-board circuits.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    The last three AES modes (CFB, OFB, and CTR) are similar to stream encryption and generate a pseudo-random number flow that depends or not on the clear message.

    “the last three modes (CFB, OFB and CTR) are similar to encryption by streams.They generate a flow of pseudo-random numbers which depends or not on the clear message [20].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [20]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    CTR mode is recommended by CCSDS for encryption of telemetry (TM) and remote control (TC).

    “This mode is recommended by the CCSDS (Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems) for the encryption of remote measurements (TM) and remote controls (TC) [15].”
    • Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
      “CTR mode is recommended by the CCSDS (Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems) for telemetry (TM) and remote control (TC) encryption.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [15]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • The quote only partly states this claim.

    Interpretationown data

    The low correlation coefficients of encrypted interferograms confirm the integrity of the deciphered interferogram.

    “which confirms the integrity of the deciphered interferogram.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisereasoning

    ECB mode is not suitable for image encryption in general.

    “ECB mode is not suitable for image encryption in general.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: Images in general often have high redundancy.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    AES has proven its robustness against different types of attacks nowadays.

    “the symmetric public algorithm AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) [7] which has proven its robustness against different types of attacks nowadays”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [7]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    RSA is used to secure the exchange of keys and to ensure authentication.

    “In our cryptosystem that we have designed, this algorithm is used to secure the exchange of keys, and to ensure the authentication function [21].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [21]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • Rests on an assumption: RSA is very fast and very secure.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    OFB mode is exploited in satellites to minimize the number of on-board circuits, which is a decisive factor for satellites.

    “OFB mode is exploited in satellites to minimize the number of on-board circuits, which is a decisive factor for satellites [21].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [21]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisereasoning

    OFB mode allows preprocessing of the key flow because it does not depend on a clear message.

    “Using this mode, the preprocessing of the key flow is possible because it does not depend on a clear message.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    The use of encryption technology in spacecraft lags far behind terrestrial systems.

    “Although there are many encryption algorithms available, the use of encryption technology in spacecraft lags far behind terrestrial systems [12].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [12]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    AES is the successor to DES.

    “in our cryptosystem we use the AES which is the successor to DES [11], for encryption not of images but of interferograms.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [11]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    The difference between C1 and C2 shows error propagation, which will influence the quality of the deciphered interferogram.

    “which shows the error propagation, which will influence the quality of the deciphered interferogram.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
20 of 20

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    RSA is very fast and very secure.

    “We have used RSA to ensure secure exchange of keys and satisfy authentication, as it is very fast and very secure.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    It is difficult to establish a precise state of the art on encryption methods used on board satellites because most manufacturers and owners do not share this information, particularly for interferograms.

    “It is difficult to establish a precise state of the art on the encryption methods used on board satellites since most of the manufacturers and owners of satellites do not share this type of information, in particular the encryption of interferograms.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    OFB mode is employed in satellites to minimize the number of on-board circuits, which is decisive for satellites.

    “OFB mode is employed in satellites to minimize the number of on-board circuits, which is decisive for satellites.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There is no universal powerful encryption mode for any type of application.

    “Among these are five encryption modes, there is no universal powerful mode for any type of application.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    CCSDS recommends CTR mode for encryption of telemetry (TM) and remote controls (TC).

    “CTR mode is recommended by the CCSDS for the encryption of telemetry (TM) and remote controls (TC).”
    “For CTR mode, it is recommended by the CCSDS for encryption of telemetry (TM) and remote controls (TC).”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Images in general often have high redundancy.

    “Since, images in general have often high redundancy.”

  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The human eye is more sensitive to changes in the structure of an image.

    “The underlying assumption is that the human eye is more sensitive to changes in the structure of the image [29]”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    OFB mode is employed in satellites in order to reduce the number of on-board circuits.

    “As a result, OFB mode is employed in satellites in order to reduce the number of on-board circuits.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    CTR mode is recommended by CCSDS for encryption of telemetry (TM) and remote controls (TC).

    “CTR mode is recommended by CCSDS for encryption of telemetry (TM) and remote controls (TC).”
9 of 9

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • OFB correlations contradict the claimed low correlations

    Major

    The text says encrypted interferograms from the different modes have low adjacent-pixel correlations in all directions. Table 2 instead gives an OFB horizontal correlation of 0.9993 for Int 1, close to the maximum of 1.

  • Reported positive correlations include negative values

    Minor

    The claim that correlations are positive in all directions conflicts with negative coefficients in Table 2, including the Int 1 horizontal CTR value of -0.0041.

  • AES key size is given as both 192 and 196 bits

    Minor

    The AES description lists 192 bits as a key size, but the next sentence substitutes 196 bits when assigning the number of rounds.

  • Original and decrypted interferograms are called decorrelated despite their reported similarity

    Minor

    The conclusion calls the original and decrypted interferograms strongly decorrelated. Earlier, the paper reports their SSIM values as very close to the optimum similarity value of 1, with Table 3 giving 1 for every CTR result.

  • Figure 16 labels two of three interferograms as Int 1

    Minor

    Figure 16 is described as showing the three interferograms, but its caption identifies both panels (a) and (c) as Int 1 rather than identifying Int 3.

5 of 5

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Bruce schneier, "applied cryptography, " CRC press, united states of America, 1996, p. 780.
  2. Sandeep, K.R., Dindayal. M., Danish, A.K., " A Survey on Advanced Encryption Stand- ard Handbook of information and communication security, " International Journal of Sci- ence and Research (IJSR), 6(1), 711-774, 2017.
  3. Jamal, N., Bani, S., " A New Approach for Securing Medical Images and Patient's Infor- mation by Using A hybrid System, " IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, 19(4), 28-39, April 2019.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
(LABGET) Laboratory, L. T. T. U., Saidi, R., Bentahar, T., (LABGET) Laboratory, L. T. T. U., Cherrid, N., Electronic Department, M. B. B.-2. U., Bentahar, A., (LAMIS) Laboratory, L. T. T. U., Mayache, H., & Higher School of Industrial Technologies-Annaba, A.-2.
Affiliations
  • Université Larbi Tébessi (DZ)
  • University of Batna 2
ORCID
Venue
International Journal on Electrical Engineering and Informatics
Publisher
School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics (STEI) ITB
Published
2020-12-31
Volume
12
Issue
4
Pages
912-932
ISSN
  • 2085-6830 (ISSN-L)
  • 2087-5886
DOI
10.15676/ijeei.2020.12.4.13
OpenAlex
W3125513611
Cited by
4
References
18
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1
FWCI
0.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
International Journal on Electrical Engineering and Informatics (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Chaos-based Image/Signal Encryption
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Cryptographic Implementations and Security
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Applications and Techniques
Keywords
OFB mode, CTR mode, CBC mode, CFB mode, ECB mode, structural similarity index, error propagation

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