A Split Key Unique Sudoku Steganography (SKUSS)-Based Reversible High Embedded Data Hiding Technique

Abstract

Confidential data transfer or secure communication is always remaining as an essential need in this era of modern communication. This research work is an implementation of a new method named Split Key Unique Sudoku Steganography (SKUSS). It is a reversible data hiding with high embedding capacity, where high embedding signifies data bits per pixels of the cover image that are more with maintaining the naturalness of the cover image. For the implementation of SKUSS first, a unique Sudoku has been generated with a user-defined 64-bit key and a 64-bit public key, then that Sudoku is used for hiding data digits (ASCII code) into cover image pixels. The data can be only recovered with that same Sudoku with the correct public and user keys. This method is based on a hybrid algorithm that applies the techniques of Sudoku and Steganography to offer different security features to the images transmitted between entities on the Internet. Based on the proposed method, the authenticity and integrity of the transmitted images can be verified either in the spatial domain or in the encrypted domain or both domains. The work is implemented on MATLAB design and simulation tools.KeywordsPublic–private keySudokuSteganographyBitmap image fileSplit Key Unique Sudoku Steganography (SKUSS)Bit per pixels