The Evaluation of LSB Steganography on Image File Using 3DES and MD5 Key

Abstract

Information security is paramount for individuals, companies, and governments. Threats to data confidentiality are increasingly complex, demanding strong protection. Therefore, cryptography and steganography play pivotal roles. This study proposes the utilization of LSB (Least Significant Bit) steganography on image files employing the 3DES (Triple Data Encryption Standard) algorithm. The aim is to facilitate secure transmission and reception of data, including confidential messages, within digital information media. The research methodology involves implementing 3DES + LSB using Image Citra and innovating 3DES + MD5 Hash in .txt files. The results and discussions described include, among others, Pseudocode, Cryptographic Testing, and Steganography Testing. Based on the results of program analysis and testing, it can be concluded that the more messages that are inserted in the image, the more pixel differences there are in the stego image. The more colors in the image to which the message will be inserted, the more pixel differences in the stego image will be. The images that stego objects can present are only images with .png and .jpeg extensions. Testing from the fidelity aspect, the average PSNR obtained is 66,365, meaning that the stego image quality is very good. Testing from the recovery aspect, from 4 tested stego images, showed that messages can be extracted again. Testing of the robustness spec using two attack techniques, namely rotation, and robustness, shows that the message cannot be extracted from the image. Testers of the computation time, from testing 1-1000 characters, show the average time required for computation is about 0.798 seconds.