Efficient sub-band coding in JPEG2000 for improved authentication and tamper-proofing

The LL sub-band from the discrete wavelet transform in JPEG2000 is similar to a smaller image of the original in spatial domain. The proposed authentication and tamper-proofing scheme is to extract and hide the entire LL sub-band into the first-level sub-bands, 1LH and 1HL. The hidden data are used later with a unique digital signature and a public key to prove the authenticity of the image. Tampered areas could be accurately detected and recovered to a quality that is visually acceptable. This scheme can be used to authenticate sensitive images, such as medical images, to prove rightful ownership and to recover images before originals are available.