ENGINEERING Information Technology & Electronic Engineering  2026 Vol.27 No.4 P.1-11

http://doi.org/10.1631/ENG.ITEE.2025.0140


Image fragment carving based on DCT semantics and an adjustment factor


Author(s):  Binglong LI, Shilong YU, Yong ZHAO, Yifeng SUN, Chaowen CHANG, Qingxian WANG

Affiliation(s):  1. Information Engineering University, Zhengzhou 450001, China more

Corresponding email(s):   lbl2017@163.com

Key Words:  Discrete cosine transform, Fragmented image files, Memory media


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.

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author="Binglong LI, Shilong YU, Yong ZHAO, Yifeng SUN, Chaowen CHANG, Qingxian WANG",
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volume="27",
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publisher="Zhejiang University Press & Springer",
doi="10.1631/ENG.ITEE.2025.0140"
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%A Binglong LI
%A Shilong YU
%A Yong ZHAO
%A Yifeng SUN
%A Chaowen CHANG
%A Qingxian WANG
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%I Zhejiang University Press & Springer
%DOI 10.1631/ENG.ITEE.2025.0140

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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
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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.

基于离散余弦变换语义与调节因子的图像碎片雕刻

李炳龙1,于世龙1,赵庸2,孙怡峰1,常朝稳1,王清贤1
1信息工程大学,中国郑州市,450001
2国投智能(厦门)信息科技股份有限公司,中国厦门市,361000
摘要:从碎片化图像文件中恢复证据是文件雕刻领域一个重要研究焦点。为解决图像碎片重组问题,本文分析了JPEG图像结构,提出一种基于离散余弦变换(DCT)语义特征的碎片连接加权算法,并引入一种利用图像压缩特性的权重调整因子。通过整合这些组件,该算法能有效确定JPEG文件中的碎片顺序,进而设计一种实用的雕刻算法。在磁盘和内存上进行的实验表明,基于调整因子的算法在识别真实最佳匹配(减少误报)方面优于仅使用DCT的方法。基于磁盘介质的实验实现了94.4%的平均雕刻精度,超越了现有方法,而基于内存介质的实验则验证了该方法的可行性,并对因Windows照片查看器等软件干扰导致的失败场景进行了理论分析。

关键词:离散余弦变换;碎片化图像文件;存储介质

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Full Text:   <237>

Summary:  <107>

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: 327

Citations:  Bibtex RefMan EndNote GB/T7714

 ORCID:

Binglong LI

0000-0003-3421-5432

Shilong YU

0000-0001-6339-4308

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