Protection of medical images during transmission and storage is critical for ensuring patient confidentiality. To provide secure encryption for healthcare applications, this study proposes the SHA-512 Seeded Multi-Layer Image Encryption (SMLIE) algorithm. It generates a session-specific key by hashing a password and the timestamp of the system using SHA-512, from which the initial states and parameters of the chaotic maps are deterministically derived for reproducibility. The encryption procedure consists of seven layers: Arnold scrambling, logistic map XOR, SHA256 masking, adaptive salt injection, row-column permutation, DWT embedding, and Henon map-based XOR, all of which improve diffusion, entropy, and adaptability to various attacks. A MATLAB graphical user interface (GUI) is used to visualize the encrypted pixel data during validation. The experimental findings indicate a high level of entropy, NPCR, and UACI, demonstrating the effectiveness of the algorithm for encrypting medical images in real time, especially in resource-constrained environments. SMLIE is suitable for real-time healthcare systems in which both privacy and low latency are essential.
Mahalakshmi et al. (2026) studied this question.