Abstract We propose a generalized model for double random phase encoding (DRPE) based on linear algebra. We defined the DRPE procedure in six steps. The first three steps form an encryption procedure, while the later three steps make up a decryption procedure. We noted that the first (mapping) and second (transform) steps can be generalized. As an example of this generalization, we used 3D mapping and a transform matrix, which is a combination of a discrete cosine transform and two permutation matrices. Finally, we investigated the sensitivity of the proposed model to errors in the decryption key.