A novel approach for enhancing image security and data hiding using NVSS

Abstract

Visual Secret sharing (VSS) suffer from secret transmission risk as the shares in VSS appear as meaningful image or noise like image. In order to overcome such problem a new Natural image based Visual Secret Sharing (NVSS) scheme was presented. Using NVSS scheme one can distribute a secret image using n-1 natural images and one noise image. It does not modify the contents of natural images. The encryption phase extracts features of every natural image. The secret image is converted to a share by performing computations on secret image and feature extracted from natural images. On the other hand the secret image is retrieved by performing computations on the share and the feature extracted from natural images. This scheme can be used to decrease the risk of transmission and also resolve the management problems. In our proposed system steganography is included to NVSS scheme to securely transfer data by hiding it behind the secret image. To increase the security further this secret data is encrypted before performing steganography. Hence the secret data is in encrypted format. This secret image is then converted into share which is finally embedded in cover image. This proposed scheme is able to share black and white, grey level or color images secretly. Also this scheme is easy to implement.