Queen-Driven Color Image Encryption Based on 2D-NECS Hyperchaos

A color image encryption scheme is developed by integrating a two-dimensional nonlinear exponential chaotic system (2D-NECS), Queen-driven permutation, and indexed row-column diffusion. The proposed 2D-NECS generates highly sensitive pseudo-random sequences for constructing dynamic permutation indices and diffusion parameters. A Queen-driven traversal mechanism achieves multi-directional pixel scrambling and enhanced cross-channel coupling, while indexed row–column diffusion propagates local changes throughout the entire image. Experimental results show that the encrypted images exhibit uniform histogram distributions, low pixel correlations, and information entropy values close to the theoretical ideal. Moreover, differential, chosen-plaintext, and known-plaintext attack analyses verify the strong security of the proposed scheme. These results demonstrate that the proposed method provides effective resistance against various cryptographic attacks while ensuring accurate image reconstruction.