High Security Image Cryptographic Algorithm Using Chaotic Encryption Algorithm with Hash-LSB Steganography

Abstract

In the latest, digital images are frequently used for storage, communication, medical imaging, etc. Such images possibly involve private data, which accordingly handed an important role to information security. Image encryption and steganography are two widely used techniques for providing information security. Cryptography is the technique of protecting information by encryption and decryption. In steganography, the message is inserted in an image with changes entitled a cover image. The principal purpose of the study is to improve the current secure data communication techniques, by combining cryptography with steganography. Steganography and cryptography are two examples of the multiple methods used to guarantee secrecy and privacy throughout data communication. The suggested approach achieves encryption and decryption utilizing chaotic encryption technique and employing hash-least significant bit (HLSB) as steganography which is a significant method of embedding data bits in LSB bits of RGB pixels of the cover image.  The suggested image encryption method is validated by experimental results to be highly secure and resistant to a variety of attacks. Additionally, compared to several conventional picture encryption techniques, it offers higher performance. Peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and mean square error (MSE)calculations are used to provide security evaluations. PSNR is infinite and MSE is 0 for a secret image. PSNR and MSE for the cover image are 65 and 0.02 dB respectively. The results of this research reveal a high level of similarities between stego and cover images, and between recovered and secret images, as seen in the histogram analysis of secret images. These techniques are accomplished effectively by using the MATLAB program.