Peer Review History

Original SubmissionJuly 25, 2024
Decision Letter - M. Usman Ashraf, Editor

PONE-D-24-29845Robust Video Data Security: A Hybrid MAES-ECC Encryption Technique for Efficient Internet TransmissionPLOS ONE

Dear Dr. Latif,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS ONE’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process.

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We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Kind regards,

Prof. Dr. M. Usman Ashraf

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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4. Please amend your authorship list in your manuscript file to include authors Haitham A. Mahmoud, Sharefa Murad and Azhar Imran.

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: The paper proposes a hybrid technique for video encryption and decryption, combining the advantages of the Modified Advanced Encryption Standard (MAES) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) algorithms. The proposed technique encrypts each video frame using MAES and then encrypts the encrypted frames using ECC. The same process is performed in reverse order for decryption. Experimental results show that the proposed technique provides higher security, better accuracy, and shorter processing times compared to other well-known techniques. However, the paper need following minor changes for improvement of paper quality for publication:

Comment 1: A more in-depth discussion on the specific modifications made to the MAES and ECC algorithms for hybrid application would be beneficial. This discussion should encompass any optimizations or alterations aimed at enhancing performance for video data encryption. Clarifying the rationale behind key decisions, such as the selection of key sizes and the number of encryption rounds tailored for video data, would provide readers with deeper insights into the design and implementation choices.

Comment 2: To ensure the highest standards of academic communication, I recommend that the manuscript undergo a thorough review by a professional editor or a third party. This step is crucial not only to eliminate grammatical errors but also to enhance the logical flow of content, thereby improving readability and ensuring that the manuscript effectively communicates its significant contributions.

Reviewer #2: The paper proposes a hybrid technique for video encryption and decryption, combining the advantages of the Modified Advanced Encryption Standard (MAES) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) algorithms. The proposed technique encrypts each video frame using MAES and then encrypts the encrypted frames using ECC. The same process is performed in reverse order for decryption. Experimental results show that the proposed technique provides higher security, better accuracy, and shorter processing times compared to other well-known techniques. However, the paper need following minor changes for improvement of paper quality for publication:

Comment 1: To ensure the highest standards of academic communication, I recommend that the manuscript undergo a thorough review. This step is crucial not only to eliminate grammatical errors but also to enhance the logical flow of content, thereby improving readability and ensuring that the manuscript effectively communicates its significant contributions.

Comment 2: The figures and tables citations require substantial improvement in their descriptions and all figures should be cited properly in the main text.

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6. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

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Reviewer #1: Yes: Azhar Imran

Reviewer #2: No

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Attachments
Attachment
Submitted filename: comments.docx
Revision 1

Reviewer 1 Comments

Comment 1: A more in-depth discussion on the specific modifications made to the MAES and ECC algorithms for hybrid application would be beneficial. This discussion should encompass any optimizations or alterations aimed at enhancing performance for video data encryption. Clarifying the rationale behind key decisions, such as the selection of key sizes and the number of encryption rounds tailored for video data, would provide readers with deeper insights into the design and implementation choices.

Response 1: Thanks for the editor feedback and honor the expertise in this domain. By elucidating the rationale behind selecting specific key sizes and encryption round numbers, readers gain a comprehensive understanding of the factors considered during the design process. Justifying these choices involves discussing factors such as the desired level of security, computational efficiency, and the characteristics of video data, which directly impact the encryption process. Through such explanations, readers gain insights into the reasoning behind the decisions made, enabling them to appreciate the thoughtfulness and considerations involved in the design and implementation of the encryption scheme.

Comment 2: To ensure the highest standards of academic communication, I recommend that the manuscript undergo a thorough review by a professional editor or a third party. This step is crucial not only to eliminate grammatical errors but also to enhance the logical flow of content, thereby improving readability and ensuring that the manuscript effectively communicates its significant contributions.

Response 2: Thank you for your suggestions and comments. The main manuscript has overcome the grammatical mistakes.

Reviewer 2 Comments

Comment 1: The figures and tables citations require substantial improvement in their descriptions and all figures should be cited properly in the main text.

Response 1: Thank you for the valuable suggestion. The suggestion is addressed in the manuscript file and updated.

Attachments
Attachment
Submitted filename: Response to reviewer PLOS one.docx
Decision Letter - M. Usman Ashraf, Editor

Robust Video Data Security: A Hybrid MAES-ECC Encryption Technique for Efficient Internet Transmission

PONE-D-24-29845R1

Dear Dr. Latif,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

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If your institution or institutions have a press office, please notify them about your upcoming paper to help maximize its impact. If they’ll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team as soon as possible -- no later than 48 hours after receiving the formal acceptance. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact onepress@plos.org.

Kind regards,

M. Usman Ashraf, Ph.D

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation.

Reviewer #1: All comments have been addressed

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

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2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

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3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

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4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

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5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

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6. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: I appreciate your efforts in responding to each point and making the necessary revisions. Based on the current version, I find the manuscript suitable for publication.

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

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7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #1: Yes: Azhar Imran

Reviewer #2: No

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Formally Accepted
Acceptance Letter - M. Usman Ashraf, Editor

PONE-D-24-29845R1

PLOS ONE

Dear Dr. Latif,

I'm pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been deemed suitable for publication in PLOS ONE. Congratulations! Your manuscript is now being handed over to our production team.

At this stage, our production department will prepare your paper for publication. This includes ensuring the following:

* All references, tables, and figures are properly cited

* All relevant supporting information is included in the manuscript submission,

* There are no issues that prevent the paper from being properly typeset

If revisions are needed, the production department will contact you directly to resolve them. If no revisions are needed, you will receive an email when the publication date has been set. At this time, we do not offer pre-publication proofs to authors during production of the accepted work. Please keep in mind that we are working through a large volume of accepted articles, so please give us a few weeks to review your paper and let you know the next and final steps.

Lastly, if your institution or institutions have a press office, please let them know about your upcoming paper now to help maximize its impact. If they'll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team within the next 48 hours. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact onepress@plos.org.

If we can help with anything else, please email us at customercare@plos.org.

Thank you for submitting your work to PLOS ONE and supporting open access.

Kind regards,

PLOS ONE Editorial Office Staff

on behalf of

Dr. M. Usman Ashraf

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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