Visual Cryptography and Its Applications

As technology progresses and as more and more personal data is digitized, there is even more of an emphasis required on data security today than there has ever been. Protecting this data in a safe and secure way which does not impede the access of an authorized authority is an immensely difficult and very interesting problem. Many attempts have been made to solve this problem within the cryptographic community.

In this book, one of these data security methods known as visual cryptography (VC) is presented. Specifically, visual cryptography allows effective and efficient secret sharing between a number of trusted parties. As with many cryptographic schemes, trust is the most difficult part. Visual cryptography provides a very powerful technique by which one secret can be distributed into two or more shares. When the shares are xeroxed onto transparencies and then superimposed exactly together, the original secret can be discovered without computer participation.

Many types of visual cryptography are examined. From the very first type of traditional visual cryptography right up to the latest developments. Traditional VC specifically deals with sharing a single binary secret between a number of participants. Extended VC attempts to take this a step further by introducing shares that have significant visual meaning. This detracts from the suspicious looking encrypted shares that are generated using traditional methods. Dynamic, colour, progressive and image hatching VC schemes are also discussed.

Practical VC applications are also outlined. These applications involve the use of Moire patterns and watermarking techniques. Detailed analysis of the watermarking domain is presented along with various techniques and schemes that can incorporate VC successfully within the field of watermarking. The foundations of these techniques are reviewed and examples provided.

Title Visual Cryptography and Its Applications
Author(s) Jonathan Weir, WeiQi Yan
Publisher: BookBoon (2012)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-8740301267
eBook: http://bookboon.com/en/visual-cryptography-and-its-applications-ebook

Theory and Practice of Cryptography and Network Security Protocols and Technologies

 In an age of explosive worldwide growth of electronic data storage and communications, effective protection of information has become a critical requirement. When used in coordination with other tools for ensuring information security, cryptography in all of its applications, including data confidentiality, data integrity, and user authentication, is a most powerful tool for protecting information.

This book presents a collection of research work in the field of cryptography. It discusses some of the critical challenges that are being faced by the current computing world and also describes some mechanisms to defend against these challenges. It is a valuable source of knowledge for researchers, engineers, graduate and doctoral students working in the field of cryptography. It will also be useful for faculty members of graduate schools and universities.

Title Theory and Practice of Cryptography and Network Security Protocols and Technologies
Author(s) Jaydip Sen
Publisher: InTech ( July 17, 2013)
Hardcover 146 pages
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-953-51-1176-4
eBook: http://www.intechopen.com/books/theory-and-practice