Attacking visible watermarking schemes

Visible watermarking schemes are important intellectual property rights (IPR) protection mechanisms for digital images and videos that have to be released for certain purposes but illegal reproductions of them are prohibited. Visible watermarking techniques protect digital contents in a more active manner, which is quite different from the invisible watermarking techniques. Digital data embedded with visible watermarks will contain recognizable but unobtrusive copyright patterns, and the details of the host data should still exist. The embedded pattern of a useful visible watermarking scheme should be difficult or even impossible to be removed unless intensive and expensive human labors are involved. In this paper, we propose an attacking scheme against current visible image watermarking techniques. After manually selecting the watermarked areas, only few human interventions are required. For watermarks purely composed of thin patterns, basic image recovery techniques can completely remove the embedded patterns. For more general watermarks consisting of thick patterns, not only information in surrounding unmarked areas but also information within watermarked areas will be utilized to correctly recover the host image. Although the proposed scheme does not guarantee that the recovered images will be exactly identical to the unmarked originals, the structure of the embedded pattern will be seriously destroyed and a perceptually satisfying recovered image can be obtained. In other words, a general attacking scheme based on the contradictive requirements of current visible watermarking techniques is worked out. Thus, the robustness of current visible watermarking schemes for digital images is doubtful and needs to be improved.     

结合混沌与提升小波的多功能图像水印系统

基于混沌系统和提升小波变换提出了一种新的图像多功能数字水印系统。首先,对图像整体进行3级提升小波变换,将实现版权保护功能的不可见水印经广义Arnold映射置乱后嵌入图像小波低频系数,嵌入算法采用一种新的双参数量化算法,并能进行盲提取。然后,在图像空域嵌入实现版权通知功能的可见水印,嵌入算法采用加权融合方式,嵌入权重系数由三维混沌系统序列确定。实验结果表明,可见水印能被合法者完全消除,但很难被非法者消除;不可见水印对图像的质量影响很小,并对常规图像处理操作具有良好的鲁棒性。     

An efficient wavelet-tree-based watermarking method

This paper proposes a blind watermarking scheme based on wavelet tree quantization for copyright protection. In such a quantization scheme, there exists a large significant difference while embedding a watermark bit 1 and a watermark bit 0; it then does not require any original image or watermark during watermark extraction process. As a result, the watermarked images look lossless in comparison with the original ones, and the proposed method can effectively resist common image processing attacks; especially for JPEG compression and low-pass filtering. Moreover, by designing an adaptive threshold value in the extraction process, our method is more robust for resisting common attacks such as median filtering, average filtering, and Gaussian noise. Experimental results show that the watermarked image looks visually identical to the original, and the watermark can be effectively extracted.     

基于分形压缩的整数小波图像水印技术

通过对现有图像压缩和水印技术的研究,考虑图像压缩率和图像恢复的容错能力,提出了一种基于分形图像压缩编码的整数小波图像水印技术.水印嵌入时,用分形压缩编码技术对灰度水印图像进行高效压缩,再把压缩编码嵌入到载体图像的整数小波系数里,实现了在数字图像整数小波变换域中水印的大容量无损嵌入.根据提取算法,盲提取水印图像的分形编码,分形解压缩获得水印图像.经过实验验证,本水印技术具有较好的数据压缩和隐蔽性能,达到预期的设计目的.     

Robust logo watermarking using biometrics inspired key generation

In this paper, a novel logo watermarking technique with key concept is proposed using fractional wavelet packet transform (FrWPT), non-linear chaotic map and singular value decomposition (SVD). The core idea is to use biometrically generated keys in the embedding process of gray-scale watermark. Therefore, this paper first proposes a method for generating keys from biometrics efficiently. Then the host image is first randomized with the help of non-linear chaotic map followed by the embedding in the FrWPT domain by modifying the singular values of the randomized image. Further, in order to enhance the security, an authentication key is formed to authenticate the watermarked image. Finally, a reliable extraction process is proposed to extracted watermark from the possibly attacked authenticate watermarked image. The security, attack and comparative analysis confirm high security, efficiency and robustness of the proposed watermarking technique. Further, an efficient solution is also proposed to deal with the ambiguous situations created by SVD in watermarking.     

基于相关理论的小波域数字盲水印算法

提出了一种新的图像数字盲水印算法。在水印嵌入过程中,用一个单元模板表示一个水印图像像素;在检测过程中,计算单元模板和嵌入水印后图像的小波变换系数的相关值,进行适当的门限处理就能提取出水印。水印检测不需要原始图像数据和水印位置信息,实现了水印图像的自同步盲检测。为了进一步提高该水印算法的鲁棒性和改善检测结果,在水印检测前使用拉普拉斯算子对图像进行锐化处理,使得所嵌入水印能抗击更多攻击种类,并使检测结果更清晰。在检测前加入锐化处理步骤,可以减小水印嵌入强度,而能得到同样的检测效果,因此也增强了水印的隐蔽性。实验表明,该算法具有较好的水印隐蔽性和鲁棒性。     

A color image watermarking scheme based on artificial immune recognition system

This study suggests a novel watermarking technique that uses artificial immune recognition system to protect color image’s intellectual property rights. The watermark is embedded in the blue channel of a color image. m-bit binary sequence embedded into the color image is used to train artificial immune recognition system. With this composed technique, extracting the watermark which is embedded into the color image is carried out using artificial immune recognition system. It is observed that the composed technique achieves high performance to process of extracting this watermark. The watermark is extracted successfully from the watermarked image after various image processing attacks as well.     

结合汉明码和图像矫正的彩色图像盲水印

目的 随着互联网技术的飞速发展,彩色数字图像带来极大便利的同时,也产生了一些篡改、剽窃等侵权行为;同时,几何处理对含水印载体的破坏使水印盲检测的难度增加,因此,本文提出一种基于汉明码和图像矫正的彩色图像盲水印方法,旨在解决当前图像版权保护的难点问题。方法 嵌入水印时,使用仿射变换加密彩色水印,并将已加密的信息编为汉明码,然后利用特征值分解计算出像素块的全部特征值,并通过对特征值绝对值的和进行量化来完成水印的嵌入;提取水印时,利用图像的几何属性对多种几何攻击后的图像进行判断、矫正,并借助量化技术提取水印。结果 基于彩色图像标准数据库,将本文方法与7种相关方法进行了对比实验：在不可见性方面,与LU分解的水印方法相比,本文算法峰值信噪比（peak signal-to-noise ratio,PSNR）提高了4 dB;在常规攻击鲁棒性方面,与Schur分解的最新方法相比,本文算法平均归一化互相关（normalized cross-correlation,NC）的值稍有提高;在几何攻击鲁棒性方面,本文算法NC值具有一定的优势;同时,本文算法的水印容量达到了0.25 bit/像素,密钥空间达到了2⁴³²,运行时间仅需3 s左右。结论 所提方法不仅具有较好的水印不可见性和较强的鲁棒性,而且具有较大的水印容量、较高的安全性和实时性。     

A robust associative watermarking technique based on vector quantization

In this paper, the concepts of vector quantization (VQ) and association rules in data mining are employed to propose a robust watermarking technique. Unlike ordinary or traditional watermarking techniques, our approach hides association rules of the watermark, instead of the whole watermark; in other words, the embedded information is the association rules of the watermark. First, VQ encoding is performed on the original image and watermark to generate the index tables, and from which association rules are further mined. Subsequently, by embedding the association rules of the watermark into the association rules of the original image, the purpose for watermarking is accomplished. Finally, VQ decoding technique is applied to reconstruct the watermarked image from the watermarked index table. Experimental results show that our proposed method achieves effective resistance against several image processings such as blurring, sharpening, adding in Gaussian noise, cropping, and JPEG lossy compression. Moreover, the embedding capacity is also significantly increased, so any a complex watermark image is still acceptable in this method.     

基于Logistic混沌映射和IWT-SVD量化的盲鲁棒水印算法

为了提高数字水印的鲁棒性以及水印嵌入位置的保密性,提出了一种基于Logistic混沌映射和整数小流变换—奇异值分解(IWT-SVD)量化的盲鲁棒水印算法:对二值水印图像进行Arnold置乱,对原始载体图像进行8×8分块,利用生成的Logistic混沌序列选择嵌入水印的图像块,充分保证了水印嵌入位置的保密性;对选中的图像块进行二级IWT分解,对得到的二级低频子带系数进行SVD;将置乱后的水印信息嵌入.算法不需要原始载体图像,实现了水印的盲提取,更具实用性.仿真实验结果表明:算法对常规图像处理操作、压缩攻击和剪切攻击均具有较强的稳健性.     

Robust blind watermarking approach against the compression for fingerprint image using 2D-DCT

This article presents a recent blind and robust fingerprint image watermarking scheme based on a two-dimensional discrete cosine transform (2D-DCT). The main focus is to compress the fingerprint image watermarked data for the purpose of reducing the volume of storage or sending over the network. The fingerprint features might be affected by the embedded watermark, compression of fingerprint images and the sending across network, thereby leading to various sets of features or watermark data. In order to address this goal in a differential way, the watermark sequence bit two sub-vectors were utilized. The two sub-vectors were achieved by the two-dimensional discrete cosine transform of the host image. Throughout the extraction stage, the essential distinction between the corresponding sub-vectors of the watermarked fingerprint image resulted explicitly in an embedded watermark sequence. The advantage of the proposed method is that it can develop a new simple blind and robust watermarking scheme by 2D-DCT frequency domain on the whole image. Accomplished results relative to other reliable compression schemes showed that the proposed scheme has greater or equivalent robustness to common image processing and geometric attacks, such as cropping, resizing, and rotation. To extract watermark data, the initial fingerprint image was not necessary. The proposed study was tested using 80 fingerprint images from 10 persons, for each from CASIA-FingerprintV5 and FVC2002 fingerprint databases. Eight fingerprint images for each individual were set as the format at which the watermark was embedded in each one.

     

一种加密域数字图像水印方法

数字媒体版权保护已变得十分迫切和必要，有效的盗版确认方法是实现有效版权保护的前提；结合加密方法提出了一种有效的盗版确认数字图像水印方法，水印信号为二值图像，水印的嵌入在图像加密域进行，具有非常好的安全性；水印提取在水印图像加密域进行且不需要原始未加水印图像。实验表明，该方法嵌入的水印不可见性好，对JPEG压缩、图像剪切和图像加噪声等攻击具有较好的鲁棒性。     

A robust semi-blind watermarking for color images based on multiple decompositions

In this paper, a robust semi-blind watermarking scheme for color images, based on multiple decompositions is proposed to preserve the copyrights of the owner. Using multiple decompositions, the gray watermark is embedded into a host color image. Prior to that, to enhance security the gray watermark is encrypted with Arnold transform and SVD by generating secret keys. The luminance component of the given host image is subjected to discrete wavelet transform(DWT), contourlet transform(CT), Schur decomposition and singular value decomposition(SVD) in sequence and finally the watermark is embedded. In the semi-blind extraction process, the watermark is extracted without the help of the original host image. Experimental results show that the proposed watermarking scheme has better visual imperceptibility and high robustness against image & signal processing attacks compared to other methods.     

Improving digital image watermarking by means of optimal channel selection

Supporting safe and resilient authentication and integrity of digital images is of critical importance in a time of enormous creation and sharing of these contents. This paper presents an improved digital image watermarking model based on a coefficient quantization technique that intelligently encodes the owner’s information for each color channel to improve imperceptibility and robustness of the hidden information. Concretely, a novel color channel selection mechanism automatically selects the optimal HL4 and LH4 wavelet coefficient blocks for embedding binary bits by adjusting block differences, calculated between LH and HL coefficients of the host image. The channel selection aims to minimize the visual difference between the original image and the embedded image. On the other hand, the strength of the watermark is controlled by a factor to achieve an acceptable tradeoff between robustness and imperceptibility. The arrangement of the watermark pixels before shuffling and the channel into which each pixel is embedded is ciphered in an associated key. This key is utterly required to recover the original watermark, which is extracted through an adaptive clustering thresholding mechanism based on the Otsu’s algorithm. Benchmark results prove the model to support imperceptible watermarking as well as high robustness against common attacks in image processing, including geometric, non-geometric transformations, and lossy JPEG compression. The proposed method enhances more than 4 dB in the watermarked image quality and significantly reduces Bit Error Rate in the comparison of state-of-the-art approaches.     

基于小波变换的图像自适应公开水印技术

提出了一种鲁棒的基于分块离散小波变换（DWT）的图像自适应公开水印技术。在充分考虑HVS掩蔽特性的基础上,利用不同分解层次小波系数块相关的特点,通过修改相应小波系数块之间的关系,自适应地嵌入水印信号。在提取水印时,不需要原始图像,完全实现了盲水印提取。通过修改自定义的参数,可以在水印透明性与鲁棒性之间找到最佳取舍点。实验结果表明,该算法具有较大的容量,对通常的图像处理操作和几何攻击等都具有较强的鲁棒性。     

A blind double color image watermarking algorithm based on QR decomposition

In this paper, a novel blind image watermarking scheme based on QR decomposition is proposed to embed color watermark image into color host image, which is significantly different from using the binary or gray image as watermark. When embedding watermark, the 24-bits color host image with size of 512?×?512 is divided into non-overlapping 4?×?4 pixel blocks and each pixel block is decomposed by QR. Then, according to the watermark information and the relation between the second row first column coefficient and the third row first column coefficient in the unitary matrix Q, the 24-bits color watermark image with size of 32?×?32 is embedded into the color host image. In addition, the new element compensatory method is used in the upper-triangle matrix R for reducing the visible distortion. When extracting watermark, only the watermarked image is needed. Compared with other SVD-based methods, the proposed method does not have the false-positive detection problem and has lower computational complexity, that is, the average running time of the proposed method only needs 1.481403 s. The experimental results show that the proposed method is robust against most common attacks including JPEG compression, JPEG 2000 compression, low-pass filtering, cropping, adding noise, blurring, rotation, scaling and sharpening et al. Compared with some related existing methods, the proposed algorithm has stronger robustness and better invisibility.     

基于CDMA技术的多水印算法

将码分多址（CDMA）思想引入水印系统以实现多水印方案。在水印嵌入过程中，每一用户以自己的密钥作为种子生成一个伪随机分布的地址码，并用该地址码将自己的欲嵌入信息调制为载波信号，然后以相加的方式把载波信号叠加入载体。在提取时，该用户使用相同的地址码，通过计算地址码和载体之间的相关系数，从载体中提取自己的嵌入信息。实验证明该算法可以实现多个用户独立嵌入和检测自己的水印信息，完全能满足多水印的要求。     

A new SVM-based image watermarking using Gaussian-Hermite moments

Geometric attack is known as one of the most difficult attacks to resist, for it can desynchronize the location of the watermark and hence causes incorrect watermark detection. It is a challenging work to design a robust image watermarking scheme against geometric attacks. Based on the support vector machine (SVM) and Gaussian-Hermite moments (GHMs), we propose a robust image watermarking algorithm in nonsubsampled contourlet transform (NSCT) domain with good visual quality and reasonable resistance toward geometric attacks in this paper. Firstly, the NSCT is performed on original host image, and corresponding low-pass subband is selected for embedding watermark. Then, the selected low-pass subband is divided into small blocks. Finally, the digital watermark is embedded into host image by modulating adaptively the NSCT coefficients in small block. The main steps of digital watermark detecting procedure include: (1) some low-order Gaussian-Hermite moments of training image are computed, which are regarded as the effective feature vectors; (2) the appropriate kernel function is selected for training, and a SVM training model can be obtained; (3) the watermarked image is corrected with the well trained SVM model; (4) the digital watermark is extracted from the corrected watermarked image. Experimental results show that the proposed image watermarking is not only invisible and robust against common image processing operations such as filtering, noise adding, JPEG compression, etc., but also robust against the geometric attacks.     

一种新的多窗口差分矩阵图像水印加载技术研究

研究了数字图像中水印信息添加的问题。针对以往基于空间域水印图像加载保密性差、容易受到噪声干扰等缺陷,提出了一种利用随机产生的差分矩阵进行水印加载与提取的算法。首先利用随机数构造一个随机矩阵;然后将原始图像与构造的随机矩阵进行差分运算,通过线性叠加函数,将待添加的水印信息添加到差分矩阵图像中,从而实现了水印加载。该方法由于利用了随机差分矩阵,因此有很好的安全特性,并能很好地实现显式或者隐式水印信息的加载。实验结果显示,该方法能在不影响原始图像的观感条件下实现水印的有效添加,并且所添加的水印图像能有效地防止噪声的干扰,实现准确的水印加载和提取。     

基于坐标系复原的抗任意剪切盲水印算法

运用满足函数关系的特征点方法建立源图像的坐标系。源图像移入标准坐标系后,基于小波系数块的统计特性,数字水印从中心到四周分层自适应地嵌入到小波域,并嵌入特征点。水印检测前先检测特征点,重新建立已嵌入水印图像的坐标系作为校准系统。源图像遭受任何剪切,已嵌入水印的图像变换到标准坐标系后,由中心到四周分层检测水印。水印检测无需知道源图像大小。实验结果表明该方法能抵抗一般攻击和任意剪切攻击,包括图像四周全部遭受剪切的攻击。