Robust lightweight fingerprint encryption using random block feedback

Fingerprint encryption in embedded environments should satisfy both lightweightedness and secureness. Normally, the encryption scheme divides the 8‐bit pixel images into bit planes and then performs full encryption for one bit plane, e.g. least significant bit plane, and simple operations for the remaining bit planes. Thus, the scheme performs better compared with the 8‐bit full encryption, while the security is decreased since only one bit plane is fully encrypted. An innovative fingerprint encryption scheme is proposed which supports better security while maintaining the overall performance. The proposed scheme uses a bit plane encryption and a random block feedback. The encryption schemes are implemented and tested with 320 sample fingerprint images. The result shows that the scheme has superior aspects compared with the existing bit plane encryption and even with the naive full encryption.