Securing Image Retrieval: A Blockchain-Based Encrypted Approach

Abstract

Malicious cloud servers can pose a hazard to encrypted picture retrieval, leading to incomplete or incorrect results.
The majority of current systems do not verify the completeness of search results, instead concentrating on retrieval
performance and accuracy. We explore properties of blockchains including decentralization and tamper-proofing to
achieve transparency and dependability in search results, and we suggest a blockchain-based encrypted picture
retrieval system. Using the blockchain consensus process and the smart contract's search function, this method
maintains the encrypted index on the Ethereum blockchain, guarantees the accuracy and integrity of search results. It
then uses a cloud server to host the corresponding encrypted images in order to save storage costs. Finally, it creates a
double-layer index structure by utilizing a simhash and a bag of visual word model in the image similarity index
process. Experiments demonstrate that the scheme's accuracy, high retrieval efficiency, and dependability also have a
positive impact on privacy protection.