Altered Document Detection With Scrambled Image Hashes
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Solution Overview
Problem
The reliance on paper and electronic documents without robust anti-counterfeiting measures makes it easy for individuals to create altered versions, and verifying authenticity through external entities is burdensome and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
Documents are generated with a unique indicium, including encoded content and graphical encodings like QR codes, allowing for self-validation by matching encoded and decoded information to confirm authenticity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If documents are created without robust anti-counterfeiting measures, then ease of manufacture and operation are improved, but reliability and security against alteration deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary action by embedding an indicium (encoded representation of document content) into the document at the time of document creation. This preemptive measure allows for later verification of document authenticity without requiring complex anti-counterfeiting materials or processes during document manufacturing. The indicium is generated from the document content itself and attached to the document, enabling self-validation later.
2Reliability
If traditional external verification processes are used, then reliability of authentication is improved, but loss of time and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by enabling the document itself to provide verification information through its embedded indicium. Instead of requiring external verification entities to contact issuing parties, the indicium contains encoded document information that can be decoded and compared directly against the document content. This allows any party with the decoding capability to independently verify document authenticity without time-consuming external communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The indicium acts as an intermediary element that bridges the document and the verification process. It encodes document content in a machine-readable format that serves as a mediator between the original document and the verification system, enabling automated comparison and validation without requiring human intervention or external entity involvement.
3Reliability
If complex anti-counterfeiting elements are added to documents, then reliability and security are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex mechanical anti-counterfeiting elements (such as holograms, watermarks, color-shifting ink) with an information-based approach using digital encoding. The indicium encodes document content in a machine-readable format that can be verified through computational processes rather than requiring specialized physical verification tools or complex document structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the verification parameter from physical document characteristics to digital information content. Instead of relying on physical anti-counterfeiting features, the indicium transforms document verification into a data comparison task where the encoded representation is decoded and compared against the actual document content, simplifying both document structure and verification processes.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided to validate an image. The image is segmented into a plurality of blocks and scrambled. A hash of the original image and scrambled image is then provided with a hash of the algorithms used (e.g., the segmenting algorithm, the scrambling algorithm, and/or the hashing algorithm). The foregoing hashes may be provided as a single, merged hash, and optionally as a quick response (QR) code. A recipient may then validate the image with a provided hash, which may comprise a merged hash that is separated into its constituent hashes. If the hashes match, the image is determined to be unaltered.