Secure Cryptographic Watermarking for Image Authentication: Algorithm, Methodology, and Experimental Analysis

Abstract

This paper presents a robust and secure framework for image watermarking based on advanced cryptographic principles, integrating blind watermarking, blockchain verification, and AES encryption. The methodology includes watermark generation, embedding using discrete wavelet transform (DWT), attack simulation, and watermark extraction. Experimental results on benchmark datasets demonstrate high imperceptibility, authentication accuracy, and resistance to various attacks such as compression and noise. Comparative evaluation confirms performance gains over state-of-the-art techniques.