Image Steganography Technique Research Articles

Hiding Secret Data Using Image Steganography

Today’s large demand of internet applications requires data to be transmitted in a secure manner. Data transmission in public communication system is not secure because of interception and improper manipulation by eavesdropper. So, the attractive solution for this problem is Steganography, which is the art and science of writing hidden messages in such a way that no one, apart from the sender and intend recipient, suspects the existence of the message, a form of security through obscurity. Hiding Secret Data Using Image Steganography is the scheme of hiding the existence of secret information by concealing it into another medium such as image file. In this paper we mainly discuss different types of image steganographic methods, advantages and disadvantages. We focus in this paper on Hiding Secret Data Using Image Steganography, which has emerged as a prominent source of data hiding across novel telecommunication technologies such as covered voice-over-IP, audio conferencing, etc. The multitude of steganographic criteria has led to a great diversity in these system design techniques. In this paper, we review current digital image steganographic techniques and we evaluate their performance based on robustness, security and hiding capacity indicators. The primary goal of steganography is to reliably send hidden information secretly, not merely to obscure its presence. Steganography in today’s computer era is considered a sub-discipline of data communication security domain. Lately, new directions based on steganographic approaches started to emerge to ensure data secrecy. Rather than as a substitute to existing solutions, these approaches could achieve better data secrecy if combined with conventional security techniques. Modern techniques of steganography exploit the characteristics of digital media by utilizing them as carriers (covers) to hold hidden information.

FFT-ETM based distortion less and high payload image steganography

This paper is presenting a novel high capacity based imperceptible and robust image steganography technique for obscured communication. A considerable literature studied on this domain reveals distortion that drastically affects image quality. These techniques obscure covert data in most significant bits or least significant bits of host image via easy or unsystematic replacement. Such schemes are vulnerable to malevolent attacks like sample pair method, chi-square test, and quality of host image especially badly affected by MSB replacement. Furthermore, such schemes are lacking in carrying maximum covert information as the number of host image pixels and covert image pixels has the ratio 8:1. In our proposed scheme robust and imperceptibility feature is injected using insignificant pixel value divergence of host and a high capacity covert image. We have proposed frequency entropy method that compares frequencies of covert image and host image in FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) domain. The eminent rate of frequency ETM (Entropy Threshold Match) leads to good image quality and information carrying capability. Moreover, our proposed technique also encrypts the secret image in frequency domain with multi flipped permutated random key vector that provides robustness. Therefore, experiments exhibit that this scheme has improved signal to noise ratio and BPP (bits per pixel) in contrast to existing schemes.

Design of an Embedding Algorithm in Image Steganography

Steganography is the art and science of hiding information which embeds hidden content into cover media so as not to provoke eavesdroppers suspicious activities. Steganography differs from cryptography in the sense that where cryptography focuses on keeping the contents of data secret while steganography focuses on keeping the existence of a data secret. Image steganography is the process of embedding of information into the cover image without degradation in the image and make the image robust so that users who do not have authorization with this information cannot access it. The approach is to implement new embedding technique for image steganography which is simple and this technique will use for all the file formats of an image. This embedding algorithm embeds the master image file size, type of encryption algorithm (DES or AES), compression ratio of secret file size, data of secret file size which is also encrypted using a secret key. The Deflate compression technique is also used to compressed secret file into the cover file. The secret message or another image file or a file can be embedded into a cover image which is also referred to as stego image. The proposed system maintains imperceptibility and data integrity property of steganography. The proposed method satisfies the reversibility property, imperceptibility, hidden capacity of data into cover image of steganography to reconstruct secret and cover images without any loss of information.

A novel image steganography technique based on quantum substitution boxes

Substitution boxes play an essential role in designing secure cryptosystems. With the evolution of quantum technologies, current data security mechanisms may be broken due to their construction based on mathematical computation. Quantum walks, a universal quantum computational model, play an essential role in designing quantum algorithms. We utilize the benefits of quantum walks to present a novel technique for constructing substitution boxes (S-boxes) based on quantum walks (QWs). The performance of the presented QWs S-box technique is evaluated by S-box evaluation criteria, and our results prove that the constructed S-box has vital qualities for viable applications in security purposes. Furthermore, a new technique for image steganography is constructed. The proposed technique is an integrated mechanism between classical data hiding and quantum walks to achieve better security for the embedded data. The embedding and extraction procedures are controlled by QWs S-box. The inclusion of cryptographic QWs S-box ensures the security of both embedding and extraction phases. At the extraction phase, only the stego image and the secret values are needed for constructing the secret data. Experimental results demonstrate that the presented technique has a high-security, high embedding capacity and good visual quality.

Secure Text Sharing Using Medical Image Steganography

The increased popularity of digital media has raised serious concerns over its security related issues. Security attacks in the form of eavesdropping, masquerading and tampering and in many other forms is very common nowadays. Data hiding is one of the emerging techniques that aim to provide for security by hiding secret information into the multimedia contents by altering some nonessential components in the host or cover file. Security of data is very important in data communication. Everyday a lot of information is transferred from one user to another on internet and so the possibility of data theft also increases. Steganography provides a solution for the security of information during data transmission. Steganography is the science which makes the valuable information invisible to prevent it from unauthorized user. A steganography system, in general, is expected to meet three key requirements, namely, imperceptibility of embedding, accurate recovery of embedded information, and large payload (payload is the bits that get delivered to the end user at the destination). So in this project an image steganography technique is proposed to hide the documents in image in the transform domain using CMD approach. The document files are carried by the image without revealing the existence to anybody. When the secret information is hidden in the carrier the result is the stego signal. In this work, the results show good quality stego signal and the stego signal is analyzed for different attacks. The stego signals are transferred to multiple receivers based on network strategies. It is found that the technique is robust and it can withstand the attacks. The quality of the stego image is measured by Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) and other measurements.

A secure image steganography based on burrows wheeler transform and dynamic bit embedding

In modern public communication networks, digital data is massively transmitted through the internet with a high risk of data piracy. Steganography is a technique used to transmit data without arousing suspicion of secret data existence. In this paper, a color image steganography technique is proposed in spatial domain. The cover image is segmented into non-overlapping blocks which are scattered among image size window using Burrows Wheeler transform before embedding. Secret data is embedded in each block according to its sequence in the Burrows Wheeler transform output. The hiding method is an operation of an exclusive-or between a virtual bit which is generated from the most significant bit and the least significant bits of the cover pixel. Results of the algorithm are analyzed according to its degradation of the output image and embedding capacity. The results are also compared with other existing methods.

New Method of Image Steganography Based on Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm in Spatial Domain for High Embedding Capacity

Steganography is a form of technology utilised to safeguard secret data during communication in addition to data repository. Numerous researchers have endeavoured to enhance the performance of steganography techniques through the development of an effective algorithm for the selection of the optimal pixel location within the host image for the concealment of secret bits, for the enhancement of the embedding capacity of the secret data, and for maintaining the visual quality of the host image (stego image) in an accepted rate after the concealment of the secret data. Therefore, steganography is perceived as a challenging task. Thus, the current study proposes a new technique for image steganography based on particle swarm optimisation (PSO) algorithm by using pixel selection for the concealment of a secret image in spatial domain, for the purpose of high embedment capacity. The stego possesses a high level of resistance against a steganalytic attack due to the security provided via image steganography. The function of PSO algorithm is to choose an optimal pixel in grey scale host image for the concealment of secret bits, as the PSO has the ability to achieve an efficient fitness calculation that depends on the cost matrix by dividing the host and secret images into four parts. First of all, the secret bits are modified, which are then embedded within the host image. Several locations in the host image are determined through the order of scanning the host pixels and starting point of the scanning for better least significant bits LSBs of each pixel. The PSO algorithm was utilised to ascertain the ideal initiating point and scanning order. Experimental results show that (1) the average peak signal to noise ratio PSNR value in the benchmark technique based on genetic algorithm for five standard stego images is 45.13%, whereas the result obtained from the recommended technique is 56.60%. (2) The proposed technique has an advantage over the benchmark with a percentage of 33.34%, which encompasses all associated issues within the checklist scenario. Therefore, the performance of the recommended technique is superior over existing techniques.

A New Chaotic Image Steganography Technique Based on Huffman Compression of Turkish Texts and Fractal Encryption With Post-Quantum Security

As the digital age is becoming an unavoidable part of our daily life people are becoming more concern about their privacy and security of their digital communications. Steganography and cryptography are the two most frequently used merits of digital life to fulfill these needs. In this study, a new spatial domain chaotic steganography scheme is presented utilizing also new fractal stream encryption algorithm to hide Huffman encoded and compressed Turkish texts. The study composes of four main phases. Firstly, a sample of Turkish newspaper columnist corpus is gathered to obtain not only the frequencies of letters including special Turkish characters but also punctuations, spaces, newlines, quotations, etc. As a result of the first phase, a static Huffman encoding dictionary is obtained for 102 encountered characters. Secondly, super Mandelbrot sets are used with the Logistic map to obtain one-time-pad stream keys to encrypt compressed texts. Thirdly, the LSB (Least Significant Bit) plain of the cover image is analyzed morphologically to find low entropy pixel locations so that in steganography phase spotted locations can be avoided and scheme can become more resistant against stego analysis. Lastly, the chaotic steganography phase is the final phase in which data hiding pixel is selected according to logistic map chaotic function then LSB of the selected pixel is updated. Many tests are carried out on many images to show the image quality namely PSNR, SNR, SSMI, UIQI, Entropy, MSE, and histogram. Results indicate that proposed schemes are successful for encryption and offer robust steganography.

The Investigation of LSB based Image Steganographic Techniques in Spatial Domain for Secure Communication

All the conveying bodies need the confidentiality, integrity and authenticity of their secret data. Distinctive methodologies are utilized to adapt these security issues like digital certificate, digital signature and cryptography. But these techniques alone can't be traded off. Steganography is the best answers for these issues as it hide the presence of secret information. Steganography will get its importance in view of its exponential advancement and riddle data of possible PC customers over the web. It can likewise be depicted as the examination of indistinct information that usually manages the methodologies for concealing the closeness of the passed on message. For the most a piece of data covering is refined in correspondence, image, content, voice or sight and sound substance for copyright, military correspondence, confirmation and various diverse purposes. Image steganography strategies have been talked about in this exploration Least Significant Bit (LSB) strategy is watched for different cases. Result for various situations has been looked at and condition of the science assessment and examination of various accessible strategies for steganography have been given. The principles pursued are equivalent to given in the writing. This paper gives a condition of-the – science assessment and examination of the diverse accessible techniques for steganography along the side with some normal models and procedures drawn from the literature. However in this survey concludes with some recommendations and sponsors for the carries-oriented mechanism. Keywords: Steganography, Data concealing, Cover writing

Secure Halftone Image Steganography Based on Pixel Density Transition

Most state-of-the-art halftone image steganographic techniques only consider the flipping distortion according to the human visual system, which are not always secure when they are attacked by steganalyzers. In this paper, we propose a halftone image steganographic scheme that aims to generate stego images with good visual quality and strong statistical security of anti-steganalysis. First, the concept of pixel density is proposed and a novel construction called pixel density histogram (PDH) is proposed to design a “ $\pm 1$ ± 1 embedding” scheme for halftone images. Then, we optimize density pair selection to select density blocks that can improve visual quality. Finally, the messages are embedded through pixel density transition, where a novel pixel flipping strategy is proposed, which can maintain the structural dependence by optimizing the pixel mesh Markov transition matrix (PMMTM). The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed steganography scheme can achieve strong statistical security of anti-steganalysis with good visual quality without degrading the embedding capacity.

A Novel n-Rightmost Bit Replacement Image Steganography Technique

Image steganography is a technique for hiding the secret data in a carrier image. This paper proposes a novel n-right most bit replacement image steganography technique to hide the secret data in an image, where 1 ≤ n ≤ 4. The major objectives of the proposed technique are, (1) improving the peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), (2) improving the embedding capacity (EC), (3) avoiding the fall of boundary problem (FOBP), and (4) robustness against salt and pepper noise and RS attack. Initially, the n-right most bits for each pixel and the n-bits of the secret data are converted to decimal values. Then, using the difference between these two decimal values the original pixels are readjusted to produce stego-pixels. From the experimental results it is observed that PSNR is higher for lower value of n and the EC is larger for the higher value of n. Furthermore, it is also experimentally investigated that the proposed technique is resistant to steganalytic attacks.

Edge based image steganography with variable threshold

With the rapid escalation of the usage of sensitive data exchange through internet, information security has become a vulnerable realm of concern. Numerous security policies are incorporated, steganography being one of them. In this paper, a new image steganography technique facilitating embedding and extraction mechanisms have been proposed. The classic technique of edge detection is employed in which the threshold is made to vary for every new input test case. Relying on the threshold generation methodology, each edge image is generated in accordance with a distinct key threshold value. This in turn directs the insertion and extraction strategies. By using different performance metrics, like Payload, Mean Squared Error, Peak Signal to Noise Ratio, Structural Similarity Index, Kullback-Leibler Divergence, Cross-correlation, etc., this procedure substantiates better results. It has quite a remarkable embedding capacity (i.e. Payload). Also the values of Peak Signal to Noise Ratio and Structural Similarity Index indicate that the imperceptibility of the stego-image is well-maintained. The statistical results obtained reassure the undetectability of the hidden image. This approach may be used to deliver a status of security to a system which communicates secure data files through any public surveillance medium.

Digital Image Steganography Using LSB Substitution, PVD, and EMD

To protect from pixel difference histogram (PDH) analysis and RS analysis, two hybrid image steganography techniques by appropriate combination of LSB substitution, pixel value differencing (PVD), and exploiting modification directions (EMD) have been proposed in this paper. The cover image is traversed in raster scan order and partitioned into blocks. The first technique operates on 2 × 2 pixel blocks and the second technique operates on 3 × 3 pixel blocks. For each block, the average pixel value difference, d, is calculated. If d value is greater than 15, the block is in an edge area, so a combination of LSB substitution and PVD is applied. If d value is less than or equal to 15, the block is in a smooth area, so a combination of LSB substitution and EMD is applied. Each of these two techniques exists in two variants (Type 1 and Type 2) with respect to two different range tables. The hiding capacities and PSNR of both the techniques are found to be improved. The results from experiments prove that PDH analysis and RS analysis cannot detect these proposed techniques.

A Review of 2D &3D Image Steganography Techniques

This examination displays an outline of different three-dimensional (3D) picture steganography methods from overview perspective. This paper exhibit scientific categorization of 3D picture steganography systems and distinguish the ongoing advances in this field. Steganalysis and assaults on 3D picture steganography calculations have likewise been examined. 3D picture steganography strategies in all the three spaces: geometrical, topological and portrayal areas have been contemplated and thought about among each other on different parameters, for example, inserting limit, reversibility and reaction towards assaults. A few difficulties which restrain the advancement of 3D steganography calculations have been recognized. This investigation finishes up with some valuable discoveries at last.

Pixel Overlapping Image Steganography Using PVD and Modulus Function

This paper proposes an image steganography technique based on the principle of pixel overlapping to improve the embedding capacity (EC) and peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). The proposed technique has two variants: (1) overlapped pixel value differencing with modulus function (OPVDMF), and (2) overlapped pixel value differencing (OPVD). Both the variants operate on pixel blocks of size 1 × 5. The OPVDMF uses the difference between the first four pixels with the 5th pixel for data embedding. Again the pixel adjustment is done to minimize the distortion. The OPVD method divides the block into four sub-blocks with 1st and 5th, 5th and 2nd, 3rd and 5th, 5th and 4th pixels. The proposed technique has been compared with the existing techniques in terms of PSNR, EC, bits per pixel, and execution time. Further, the security of the proposed technique has been verified using RS analysis.

Image in image Steganography Technique based on Arnold Transform and LSB Algorithms

Image in image Steganography Technique based on Arnold Transform and LSB Algorithms

An adaptive high-fidelity steganographic scheme using edge detection and hybrid hamming codes

In this paper, we propose a novel image steganography technique with an adaptive embedding scheme that combines the methods of edge detection and hybrid Hamming codes to conceal a secret message in a cover image. We use the Canny edge detection algorithm to identify the sharpness degree of a block because the human visual system is more sensitive to the smooth regions than the sharp regions in the image; therefore, embedding confidential information in the cover image according to the sharpness degree of image regions will provide the consequent stego image with superior visual quality. Inspired by this, the proposed scheme identifies the sharpness degree of each block when embedding a secret message into a cover image, and the volume of data embedded in each block depends on the block sharpness; i.e., the sharper the block is, the more the data embedded into it. To embed a secret message into a cover image, the proposed scheme first uses the sharpest regions of the image and then gradually proceeds to the less sharp regions. Therefore, the proposed scheme can effectively reduce the distortion of the stego image, making it imperceptible. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme achieves better image quality than the previously reported related steganographic techniques.

English

English

An Implementation of Text and Color Image Steganography Technique Using Cryptographic Algorithm

The craft of data stowing away has gotten much consideration in the ongoing years as security of data has turned into a major worry in this web time. As sharing of delicate data by means of a typical correspondence channel have become inevitable, Steganography techniques aimed at secretly hiding data in a multimedia carrier such as text, audio, image or video, without raising any suspicion of alteration to its contents. The original carrier is referred to as the cover object. In this paper, we proposed a mechanism of end user data security by means of image steganography technique using ECDH (Elliptic Curve Diffie–Hellman) algorithm for improving image quality while we hide data in image. Our proposed approach is simplified yet efficient algorithm that can be implemented for end user application that strictly enforces the data integrity over the communication channel. The performance of the proposed approach is measured in terms of time, memory, MSE and PSNR which was better improved from the previous approach in the similar parameters.

New LSB-based colour image steganography method to enhance the efficiency in payload capacity, security and integrity check

Steganography is the technique for hiding information within a carrier file so that it is imperceptible for unauthorized parties. In this study, it is intended to combine many techniques to gather a new method for colour image steganography to obtain enhanced efficiency, attain increased payload capacity, posses integrity check and security with cryptography at the same time. Proposed work supports many different formats as payload. In the proposed method, the codeword is firstly formed with secret data and its CRC-32 checksum, then the codeword is compressed by Gzip just before encrypting it by AES, and it is finally added to encrypted header information for further process and then embedded into the cover image. Embedding the encrypted data and header information process utilizes Fisher-Yates Shuffle algorithm for selecting next pixel location. To hide one byte, different LSB (least significant bits) of all colour channels of the selected pixel is exploited. In order to evaluate the proposed method, comparative performance tests are carried out against different spatial image steganographic techniques using some of the well-known image quality metrics. For security analysis, histogram, enhanced LSB and Chi-square analyses are carried out. The results indicate that with the proposed method has an improved payload capacity, security and integrity check for common problems of simple LSB method. Moreover, it has been shown that the proposed method increases the visual quality of the stego image when compared to other studied methods, and makes the secret message difficult to be discovered.