Implementation of Steganographic Algorithms Based on Exact Histogram Matching and Colour Visual Cryptography

Thottempudi Pardhu,K Mani Raj,R Sateesh,K Naveen

doi:10.35940/ijeat.b3006.129219

Abstract

Sensitive secret data transmission through internet has been of great security concern which can be overcome by steganographic methods achieved through secret image sharing. Two novel steganographic secret algorithms based on colour visual cryptography and exact histogram specification is proposed in the present study. The former approach combines colour visual cryptography with a secret key to produce less distorted meaningful share images. A specified histogram acts as the key for the second approach and provides better security and data obscurity compared to conventional approaches. A novel histogram specification method is also proposed which exactly matches the histogram of an image to a specified histogram.

Highlights

Steganography, an ambiguous way of embedding secret data within various seemingly natural media like images, when achieved through shadow image sharing, has various security concerned applications like sensitive data transmission through internet, forensic data hiding, banking applications, biometric authentication, general access structures and digital watermarking
A steganographic secret sharing scheme called visual cryptography was proposed by Naor and Shamir [1], which basically encrypts a secret binary image into two or more share images which looks like a collection of black and white pixels
The share images and the secret key image using the conventional CVC scheme using halftoning technique is illustrated in Fig. 3 from (a)–(e)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Steganography, an ambiguous way of embedding secret data within various seemingly natural media like images, when achieved through shadow image sharing, has various security concerned applications like sensitive data transmission through internet, forensic data hiding, banking applications, biometric authentication, general access structures and digital watermarking. Two novel secret data sharing schemes, based on colour visual cryptography and exact histogram specification are proposed. The former approach embeds the secret image into two or more meaningful shadow images along with a secret key image. Since the visual cryptography involves random encryption, it always produces meaningful shares with slight artifacts, which can be a matter of suspicion for hackers The latter approach proposed in the present study aims at embedding the secret message into the histogram of transmitted shares by means of exact histogram specification. The simulation results with analysis and conclusion of the study are particularized in section IV and V respectively

Basic Visual Secret Data Sharing Scheme

STEGANOGRAPHY BASED ON EXACT HISTOGRAM SPECIFICATION

Repeat steps 3 to 7 until

SIMULATION RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

CONCLUSION