A Novel PQC-Based Image Encryption Scheme Using Seismic Wave Permutation.

Image encryption schemes based on chaotic maps offer strong statistical properties but are vulnerable to quantum attacks, and their integration with post-quantum cryptography has not been sufficiently explored. This paper presents a post-quantum secure image encryption framework integrating ML-KEM (FIPS 203), standardized by NIST in 2024, with a two-dimensional Sinh-Logistic chaotic map, HKDF-SHA256 nonce-based key derivation, feedback diffusion, and a novel Seismic Wave Permutation (SWP). The scheme derives channel-specific encryption keys from ML-KEM shared secrets using random, channel-specific nonces via HKDF-SHA256, ensuring plaintext independence and avoiding metadata-based leakage. The proposed SWP effectively breaks spatial correlations by displacing pixels according to a chaotic SWP model. RGB images are processed with independent ML-KEM encapsulation and HKDF-derived key material per channel, enabling multi-channel encryption without cross-channel leakage. Experiments on 512 × 512 test images have demonstrated Shannon entropy exceeding 7.999 bits per pixel across all channels, NPCR of at least 99.59%, UACI between 33.41% and 33.53%, and near-zero pixel correlations, further validated across 14 standard SIPI test images. An IND-CPA game simulation using four independent distinguishers, including a learned classifier trained via chosen-plaintext oracle access, over 5000 rounds per image, showed a maximum adversary advantage of 0.0186, consistent with random prediction. ML-KEM encapsulation contributes between 3.9% (ML-KEM-512) and 8.0% (ML-KEM-1024) of total encryption latency at 512 × 512 resolution, remaining a minority cost across all security levels while keeping the total encryption time within a narrow 227-258 ms range. The proposed architecture bridges standardized post-quantum cryptography with chaos-based image security for privacy-preserving image transmission.