Secure Transmission of Medical Images using Improved Hybrid Cryptosystem: Authentication, Confidentiality and Integrity

In telemedicine applications, sensitive and private patients' information is collected and transmitted via a telecommunication system. To assure the security services of the exchanged medical images, improved cryptographic algorithms should be designed to protect private information against attacks. In this paper, we propose an efficient cryptosystem for medical image encryption and authentication. The cryptosystem is an Improved Advanced Encryption Standard (IAES) - Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) hybrid scheme that uses symmetric and asymmetric approaches. The first one is used to encrypting the image. The second one is used to encrypting the initial secret key and owner's signature that permit authentication. The implementation on a Cyclone III FPGA uses 18.594 of total logic elements, 17.820 of total combinatorial functions, and 131.616 of total memory. It runs at a frequency of 147.16 MHz, consumes 171.16 mW and can achieve excellent throughput of 1.71 Gb / s. Results prove that the proposed cipher framework is appropriate for embedded systems respecting both real-time performance and resources constrained. The security analysis is successfully performed and experimental results prove that the suggested technique provides the basis of cryptography.