-
CiteScore
-
Impact Factor
Volume 2, Issue 4, Chinese Journal of Information Fusion
Volume 2, Issue 4, 2025
Submit Manuscript Edit a Special Issue
Article QR Code
Article QR Code
Scan the QR code for reading
Popular articles
Chinese Journal of Information Fusion, Volume 2, Issue 4, 2025: 340-355

Open Access | Review Article | 12 November 2025
A Biometric Authentication Framework Based on Image Watermarking
1 Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Tangail 1902, Bangladesh
2 Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Fareast International University, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh
3 Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka 1342, Bangladesh
4 Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore 7408, Bangladesh
5 Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Daffodil International University, Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh
6 Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Chittagong, Chattogram 4202, Bangladesh
7 Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Dhaka International University, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
* Corresponding Author: Mahbuba Begum, [email protected]
Received: 14 August 2025, Accepted: 23 October 2025, Published: 12 November 2025  
Abstract
The need for robust information protection techniques has become important in security applications, especially to safeguard secret messages during transmission. The rapid expansion and pervasive use of the Internet have amplified security concerns, particularly regarding the authenticity of digital images, a significant issue in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. Biometric authentication using image watermarking addresses these concerns by embedding biometric information into digital images, thereby ensuring their security and privacy. Numerous recent methods have fused biometric modalities with watermarking techniques to enhance the security and reliability of transmitted messages. Despite these advancements, achieving parallel security and storage efficiency for biometric images remains a complex challenge. To cope with these challenges, this research proposes a standardized robust fusion framework for biometric-based image authentication tailored to various applications.

Graphical Abstract
A Biometric Authentication Framework Based on Image Watermarking

Keywords
biometric authentication
optimization
robust
security and privacy

Data Availability Statement
Not applicable.

Funding
This work was partially supported by the Research Cell of Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU).

Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate
Not applicable.

References
  1. Li, S., Chen, X., Wang, Z., Qian, Z., & Zhang, X. (2018). Data hiding in iris image for privacy protection. IETE Technical Review, 35(sup1), 34–41.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  2. Begum, M., & Uddin, M. S. (2020). Digital image watermarking techniques: A review. Information, 11(2), 110.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  3. Tašić, J., & Adamović, S. (2017). Digital image watermarking techniques and biometrics data security: A review. In Sinteza 2017 - International Scientific Conference on Information Technology and Data Related Research (pp. 55–62). Singidunum University.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  4. Kumar, G. D., Teja, D. P., Reddy, S. S., & Sasikaladevi, N. (2017). An efficient watermarking technique for biometric images. Procedia computer science, 115, 423-430.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  5. Aparna, P., & Kishore, P. V. V. (2019). Biometric‐based efficient medical image watermarking in E‐healthcare application. IET Image Processing, 13(3), 421-428.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  6. Jain, A. K., Prabhakar, S., Hong, L., & Pankanti, S. (2000). Filterbank-based fingerprint matching. IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, 9(5), 846–859.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  7. Mohammed, A. O., Hussein, H. I., Mstafa, R. J., & Abdulazeez, A. M. (2023). A blind and robust color image watermarking scheme based on DCT and DWT domains. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 82(21), 32855-32881.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  8. Balamurugan, G. (2016). A fingerprint based reversible watermarking system for the security of medical information. In 2016 World Conference on Futuristic Trends in Research and Innovation for Social Welfare (Startup Conclave) (pp. 1–6).
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  9. Noore, A., Singh, R., Vasta, M., & Houck, M. M. (2007). Enhancing security of fingerprints through contextual biometric watermarking. Forensic Science International, 169(2–3), 188–194.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  10. Garg, P., & Jain, A. (2023). A robust technique for biometric image authentication using invisible watermarking. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 82(2), 2237–2253.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  11. Taj, T., & Sarkar, M. (2023). A survey on embedding iris biometric watermarking for user authentication. Cloud Computing and Data Science, 4(2), 203–211.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  12. Mokashi, B., Bhat, V. S., Pujari, J. D., & J, L. S. (2021). Dual watermarking technique for image authentication using biometrics. In 2021 IEEE Mysore Sub Section International Conference (MysuruCon) (pp. 427–432).
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  13. Bhatnagar, G., Wu, Q. J., & Raman, B. (2010). Biometric template security based on watermarking. Procedia Computer Science, 2, 227-235.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  14. Bergman, C. (2008). Match-on-card for secure and scalable biometric authentication. In Advances in Biometrics: Sensors, Algorithms and Systems (pp. 407-421). London: Springer London.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  15. Yang, H. M., Liang, Y. Q., Wang, X. D., & Ji, S. J. (2007, November). A DWT-based evaluation method of imperceptibility of watermark in watermarked color image. In 2007 International Conference on Wavelet Analysis and Pattern Recognition (Vol. 1, pp. 198-203). IEEE.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  16. Zhang, H., Wang, C., & Zhou, X. (2017). A robust image watermarking scheme based on SVD in the spatial domain. Future Internet, 9(3), 45.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  17. Zhang, Y. (2009). Digital watermarking technology: A review. In 2009 ETP International Conference on Future Computer and Communication (pp. 250–252).
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  18. Zhou, X., Zhang, H., & Wang, C. (2018). A robust image watermarking technique based on DWT, APDCBT, and SVD. Symmetry, 10(3), 77.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  19. Loani, N. A., Hurrahi, N. N., Parah, S. A., Lee, J. W., Sheikhi, J. A., & MohiuddinBhat, G. (2018). Secure and robust digital image watermarking using coefficient differencing and chaotic encryption. IEEE Access, 6, 19876–19897.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  20. Wang, C., Zhang, H., & Zhou, X. (2018). A self-recovery fragile image watermarking with variable watermark capacity. Applied Sciences, 8(4), 548.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  21. Vatsa, M., Singh, R., Mitra, P., & Noore, A. (2004, October). Digital watermarking based secure multimodal biometric system. In 2004 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics (IEEE Cat. No. 04CH37583) (Vol. 3, pp. 2983-2987). IEEE.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  22. Motwani, R. C., Harris, F. C., & Bekris, K. E. (2010, January). A proposed digital rights management system for 3d graphics using biometric watermarks. In 2010 7th IEEE Consumer Communications and Networking Conference (pp. 1-6). IEEE.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  23. Hämmerle-Uhl, J., Raab, K., & Uhl, A. (2011, May). Watermarking as a means to enhance biometric systems: A critical survey. In International Workshop on Information Hiding (pp. 238-254). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  24. Bhatnagar, G., & Wu, Q. M. J. (2013). Biometrics inspired watermarking based on a fractional dual tree complex wavelet transform. Future Generation Computer Systems, 29(1), 182–195.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  25. Shaw, A. K., Majumder, S., Sarkar, S., & Sarkar, S. K. (2013). A novel EMD based watermarking of fingerprint biometric using GEP. Procedia Technology, 10, 172–183.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  26. Vashistha, A., & Joshi, A. M. (2016, November). Fingerprint based biometric watermarking architecture using integer DCT. In 2016 IEEE region 10 conference (TENCON) (pp. 2818-2821). IEEE.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  27. Bousnina, N., Ghouzali, S., Mikram, M., & Abdul, W. (2019). DTCWT-DCT watermarking method for multimodal biometric authentication. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Networking, Information Systems & Security (pp. 1–7).
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  28. Altay, S. Y., & Ulutas, G. (2024). Biometric watermarking schemes based on QR decomposition and Schur decomposition in the RIDWT domain. Signal, Image and Video Processing, 18(3), 2783-2798.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  29. Gomez-Coronel, S. L., Moya-Albor, E., Brieva, J., & Romero-Arellano, A. (2023). A robust and secure watermarking approach based on hermite transform and SVD-DCT. Applied Sciences, 13(14), 8430.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  30. Mohammed, A. F., Nahi, H. A., Mosa, A. M., & Kadhim, I. (2023). Secure E-healthcare System Based on Biometric Approach. Data and Metadata, 2, 1-56.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  31. Bao, B., & Wang, Y. (2024). A robust blind color watermarking algorithm based on the Radon-DCT transform. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 83(24), 64663-64682.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  32. Olaniyi, O. M., Folorunso, T. A., Ahmed, A., & Joseph, O. (2016). Design of secure electronic voting system using fingerprint biometrics and crypto-watermarking approach. International Journal of Information Engineering and Electronic Business, 8(5), 9–17.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Konnurmath, G., & Yakkundimath, R. (2017). A combined approach of biometrics and watermarking for digital image’s copyright protection. In 2017 2nd National Conference on Challenges and Opportunities in Computer Engineering (NCCOCE).
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Lebcir, M., Awang, S., & Benziane, A. (2020, February). Reversible Watermarking Technique for Fingerprint authentication based on DCT. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 769, No. 1, p. 012070). IOP Publishing.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  35. Aparna, P., & V. V. Kishore, P. (2020). A blind medical image watermarking for secure E-healthcare application using crypto-watermarking system. Journal of Intelligent Systems, 29(1), 1558–1575.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  36. Thanki, R., Borra, S., & Kothari, A. (2021). Fragile watermarking framework for tamper detection of color biometric images. International Journal of Digital Crime and Forensics (IJDCF), 13(2), 35-56.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  37. Fernandez, J. J., & Nithyanandam, P. (2023). Biometric watermarking: an application-based review. International Journal of Information Privacy, Security and Integrity, 5(3), 211-226.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  38. Ma, B., Wang, Y., Li, C., Zhang, Z., & Huang, D. (2014). Secure multimodal biometric authentication with wavelet quantization based fingerprint watermarking. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 72(1), 637–666.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  39. Anand, A., & Singh, A. K. (2021). Watermarking techniques for medical data authentication: A survey. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 80(20), 30165–30197.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  40. Kadian, P., Arora, S. M., & Arora, N. (2021). Robust digital watermarking techniques for copyright protection of digital data: A survey. Wireless Personal Communications, 118(4), 3225–3249.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  41. Sharma, S., Zou, J. J., Fang, G., Shukla, P., & Cai, W. (2024). A review of image watermarking for identity protection and verification. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 83(11), 31829-31891.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  42. Ergünay, S. K., Khoury, E., Lazaridis, A., & Marcel, S. (2015). On the vulnerability of speaker verification to realistic voice spoofing. In 2015 IEEE International Conference on Biometrics Theory, Applications and Systems (BTAS) (pp. 1–6).
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  43. Evans, N. W., Kinnunen, T., & Yamagishi, J. (2013, August). Spoofing and countermeasures for automatic speaker verification. In INTERSPEECH 2013, 14th Annual Conference of the International Speech Communication Association.
    [Google Scholar]
  44. Evans, N. (Ed.). (2019). Handbook of biometric anti-spoofing: Presentation attack detection (2nd ed.). Springer.
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Vaidya, S. P. (2023). Fingerprint-based robust medical image watermarking in hybrid transform. The Visual Computer, 39(6), 2245-2260.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  46. Moad, M. S., Kafi, M. R., & Khaldi, A. (2022). Medical image watermarking for secure e-healthcare applications. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 81(30), 44087-44107.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  47. Thanki, R., & Borisagar, K. (2013). A novel robust digital watermarking technique using compressive sensing for biometric data protection. International Journal of Electronics, Communication and Computer Engineering, 4(4), 1133–1139.
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Magdy, M., Hosny, K. M., Ghali, N. I., & Ghoniemy, S. (2022). Security of medical images for telemedicine: A systematic review. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 81(18), 25101–25145.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  49. North-Samardzic, A. (2020). Biometric technology and ethics: Beyond security applications. Journal of Business Ethics, 167(3), 433-450.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  50. Yasmeen, F., & Uddin, M. S. (2021). An efficient watermarking approach based on LL and HH edges of DWT–SVD. SN Computer Science, 2(2), 82.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  51. Agilandeeswari, L., Prabukumar, M., & Alenizi, F. A. (2023). A robust semi-fragile watermarking system using pseudo-Zernike moments and dual tree complex wavelet transform for social media content authentication. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 82(28), 43367–43419.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  52. Hajiabbasi, M., Akhtarkavan, E., & Majidi, B. (2023). Cyber-physical customer management for Internet of Robotic Things-enabled banking. IEEE Access, 11, 34062–34079.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  53. Joyce, S., & Veni, S. (2023). Iris biometric watermarking for authentication using multiband discrete wavelet transform and singular-value decomposition. International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering Systems, 14(3), 259–266.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  54. Harika, D., & Noorullah, S. (2023). Implementation of image authentication using digital watermarking with biometric. International Journal of Engineering Technology and Management Sciences, 7(1), 154–167.
    [Google Scholar]
  55. Kumar, S., & Singh, B. K. (2021). DWT based color image watermarking using maximum entropy. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 80(10), 15487–15510.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  56. Mohammed, N. F., Jawad, M. J., & Ali, S. A. (2020). Biometric-based medical watermarking system for verifying privacy and source authentication. Kuwait Journal of Science, 47(3), 1–12.
    [Google Scholar]
  57. Sanivarapu, P. V., Rajesh, K. N. V. P. S., Hosny, K. M., & Fouda, M. M. (2022). Digital watermarking system for copyright protection and authentication of images using cryptographic techniques. Applied Sciences, 12(17), 8724.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  58. Qin, Y., & Zhang, B. (2023). Privacy-preserving biometrics image encryption and digital signature technique using Arnold and ElGamal. Applied Sciences, 13(14), 8117.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  59. Li, H., Yu, C., & Wang, X. (2021). A novel 1D chaotic system for image encryption, authentication and compression in cloud. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 80(6), 8721–8758.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  60. Chen, Y. P., Fan, T. Y., & Chao, H. C. (2021). WMNet: A lossless watermarking technique using deep learning for medical image authentication. Electronics, 10(8), 932.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  61. Vakhshiteh, F., Nickabadi, A., & Ramachandra, R. (2021). Adversarial attacks against face recognition: A comprehensive study. IEEE Access, 9, 92735–92756.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]
  62. Priya, S., & Santhi, B. (2021). A novel visual medical image encryption for secure transmission of authenticated watermarked medical images. Mobile Networks and Applications, 26(6), 2501–2508.
    [CrossRef]   [Google Scholar]

Cite This Article
APA Style
Begum, M., Yasmeen, F., Uddin, M. S., Ferdush, J., Shorif, S. B., Islam, T., Jui, A. N., & Rahman, M. M. (2025). A Biometric Authentication Framework Based on Image Watermarking. Chinese Journal of Information Fusion, 2(4), 340–355. https://doi.org/10.62762/CJIF.2025.545927

Article Metrics
Citations:

Crossref

0

Scopus

0

Web of Science

0
Article Access Statistics:
Views: 132
PDF Downloads: 34

Publisher's Note
ICCK stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and Permissions
CC BY Copyright © 2025 by the Author(s). Published by Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.
Chinese Journal of Information Fusion

Chinese Journal of Information Fusion

ISSN: 2998-3371 (Online) | ISSN: 2998-3363 (Print)

Email: [email protected]

Portico

Portico

All published articles are preserved here permanently:
https://www.portico.org/publishers/icck/