A Comprehensive Survey of Audio Encryption Techniques: Classical, Chaos-Based, DNA-Inspired, Neural, and Quantum-Assisted Approaches

Halah Waad Khaled; Waleed Abdullah Araheem; Hakeem Imad Mhaibes

doi:10.5935/jetia.v12i60.4072

Authors

Halah Waad Khaled Information Technology Department, Technical College of Management-Baghdad, Middle Technical University, Baghdad, Iraq.
Waleed Abdullah Araheem Middle Technical University, Baghdad, Iraq
Hakeem Imad Mhaibes Middle Technical University, Baghdad, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5935/jetia.v12i60.4072

Abstract

In this paper, a comparative review of various encryption techniques for audio data, which were introduced between 2015 and 2025, will be discussed to meet the requirements for secure audio data communication. Conventional encryption techniques, such as Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), and Substitution Permutation Networks (SPN), are considered to have high resistance to brute-force attacks, yet they may fail when dealing with a data type such as audio because they are deterministic networks.

The survey also encompasses chaos-based encryption algorithms, such as multi-dimensional and hyper-chaotic maps, which utilize nonlinearity for improving confusion diffusion and extending the key space. Bio-inspired algorithms integrating the concept of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) coding techniques and chaotic maps are also described. Furthermore, the survey encompasses the use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and the Neuro-Chaotic Cryptosystem (NeuroChaosCrypt) for encryption purposes because of its adaptive encryption mechanism.

Finally, physical-layer techniques and quantum-assisted techniques, like Polarized Light Beam (PLB) Encryption and Quantum-Assisted Secure Audio Communication (QSAC), that provide security guarantees using the principles of physics and quantum computing, also deserve mention.