QR Code Digital Watermarking Algorithm Based on GWO

He traditional physical isolation of internal and external networks greatly restricts the exchange of data between internal and external networks while ensuring data security. One-way transmission based on QR codes is able to transmit information in classified network systems without any physical contact. However, in a one-way transmission system, there is a risk that unauthorized access or impersonation cannot be ruled out, so ensuring the authenticity of the source becomes crucial. In this paper, a digital watermarking algorithm based on the gray wolf optimizer (GWO) algorithm for QR codes is proposed. The digital signature is embedded into the QR code image as a watermark, and the embedding factor is optimized by the GWO algorithm to achieve the purpose of balancing the invisibility and robustness of the watermark. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is robust against attacks. Meanwhile, the digital signature as a watermark can identify the authenticity of the sender’s identity to further improve the security of the whole transmission system.