
Binglong LI, Shilong YU, Yong ZHAO, Yifeng SUN, Chaowen CHANG, Qingxian WANG. Image fragment carving based on DCT semantics and an adjustment factor[J]. Journal of Zhejiang University Science C, 2026, 27(4): 1-11.
@article{title="Image fragment carving based on DCT semantics and an adjustment factor",
author="Binglong LI, Shilong YU, Yong ZHAO, Yifeng SUN, Chaowen CHANG, Qingxian WANG",
journal="Journal of Zhejiang University Science C",
volume="27",
number="4",
pages="1-11",
year="2026",
publisher="Zhejiang University Press & Springer",
doi="10.1631/ENG.ITEE.2025.0140"
}
%0 Journal Article
%T Image fragment carving based on DCT semantics and an adjustment factor
%A Binglong LI
%A Shilong YU
%A Yong ZHAO
%A Yifeng SUN
%A Chaowen CHANG
%A Qingxian WANG
%J Frontiers of Information Technology & Electronic Engineering
%V 27
%N 4
%P 1-11
%@ 1869-1951
%D 2026
%I Zhejiang University Press & Springer
%DOI 10.1631/ENG.ITEE.2025.0140
TY - JOUR
T1 - Image fragment carving based on DCT semantics and an adjustment factor
A1 - Binglong LI
A1 - Shilong YU
A1 - Yong ZHAO
A1 - Yifeng SUN
A1 - Chaowen CHANG
A1 - Qingxian WANG
J0 - Frontiers of Information Technology & Electronic Engineering
VL - 27
IS - 4
SP - 1
EP - 11
%@ 1869-1951
Y1 - 2026
PB - Zhejiang University Press & Springer
ER -
DOI - 10.1631/ENG.ITEE.2025.0140
Abstract: The recovery of evidence from fragmented image files is a prominent research focus in the field of file carving. To address image fragment reassembly, this paper analyzes the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) image structure and proposes a fragment connection weighting algorithm based on discrete cosine transform (DCT) semantic features, along with a weight adjustment factor that leverages image compression characteristics. By integrating these components, the algorithm effectively determines the fragment sequence in JPEG files, and a practical carving algorithm is designed. Experiments conducted on disk and memory demonstrate that the adjustment factor-based algorithm outperforms the DCT-only method in identifying true best matches (reducing false positives). Disk experiments achieve an average carving precision of 94.4%, surpassing existing methods, while memory experiments validate the feasibility of the approach, along with a theoretical analysis of failure scenarios caused by interference from software such as Windows Photo Viewer.
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CLC number: TP309.3
On-line Access: 2026-04-24
Received: 2025-11-16
Revision Accepted: 2026-04-24
Crosschecked: 2026-03-06
Cited: 0
Clicked: 330
Open peer comments: Debate/Discuss/Question/Opinion
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