High-Quality PRNU Anonymous Algorithm for JPEG Images

Jian Li, Huanhuan Zhao, Bin Ma, Chunpeng Wang, Xiaoming Wu, Tao Zuo, Zhengzhong Zhao

Abstract: The utilization of Photo Response Non-Uniformity (PRNU) technology has found extensive application in the field of multimedia forensics, particularly in the authentication of the original camera source of an image. However, this technique has also given rise to significant concerns regarding privacy breaches. For instance, adversaries can exploit publicly available images to generate PRNU and subsequently impersonate the owners of the images. In response to these challenges, we propose an algorithm for achieving source device anonymity in widely used JPEG images. The method combines the discrete cosine transform (DCT) with JPEG compression to process the DCT coefficients of an image after inverse quantization. By ensuring the high quality of the processed image, this approach effectively breaks the link between an image and its source camera. Additionally, a reversible data hiding method is employed, enabling the recovery of traceability if necessary. Our algorithm offers several advantages over existing schemes. It operates within the domain of JPEG image compression, maintaining a low time complexity. Additionally, it effectively preserves the visual quality of images and eliminates the typical traceability effects associated with images.