Joint adjustment image steganography networks

A reversible extended secret image sharing scheme based on Chinese remainder theorem

Steganography is a method of hiding sensitive information within an ordinary file to avoid detection. When the file is received, the hidden information is extracted from the original file. Various types of files can be used to conceal the information, including images, audio files, video files, and text files. This research paper focuses on the use of image files as the medium. To create a stego-image, a secret image is embedded into a cover image. Both the cover and secret images are subjected to a Daubechies 3 Discrete Wavelet Transformation (DWT), then encrypted using Arnold's Cat Map algorithm and fused using a simple alpha blending technique with the cover image. DWT enhances the invisibility of hidden information, making it more challenging to detect by visual inspection or statistical analysis. Arnold’s cat map adds an extra layer of security, making it more difficult for an attacker to extract the message. Alpha blending helps to maintain the visual quality and integrity of the cover image, reducing the chances of noticeable artifacts or anomalies that may arise due to the embedding process. The resulting stego-image appears visually like the original cover image, making it less suspicious to potential attackers. Experimental results have been made on multiple area such as the best value of alpha, which DWT family to use, and different combinations of images as cover and payload images. The results demonstrate that our proposed hybrid model achieves a high level of security, robustness, and imperceptibility in image steganography. Moreover, it outperforms existing methods in terms of image quality metrics, such as achieving a Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) value of up to 70.8 and a Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) value of up to 0.98982. These metrics indicate that the stego-image retains a remarkable level of visual fidelity and similarity to the cover image, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of the steganography technique.

Steganography is the art of hiding secret data in a medium whereas visual-cryptography is a cryptographic technique where a full image is encrypted. The security of image steganography depends on the secret key set which is used for embedding the secret image. If the secret key is exposed, the secret image can be retrieved. To solve this security issue we propose a new type of steganography method using visual cryptography. In this method, text and image are used as a secret message and image for the cover object. 24-bit RGB color images are used as both secret and cover images. In this method, we use a new image namely share1 which converts a secret image to a totally different image called share2 image. Typically, knowing the extraction method, people can retrieve the secret message easily. A pseudorandomly generated image is used as a key for visual encryption and this ensures the extra layer of security. By this proposed method, we ensure more secured image steganography.

In this paper, we present a new image steganography technique based on Integer Wavelet Transform (IWT) and Munkres' assignment algorithm which embeds secret image in frequency domain of cover image with high matching quality. IWT is used to transform both cover and secret images from spatial domain to frequency domain, and assignment algorithm is used for best matching between blocks for embedding. We embed the secret image in different coefficients of cover image bands such as horizontal detail, vertical detail and diagonal detail and observe the effect of embedding on the performance of stego image in terms of Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR). Experimental results depict that stego image and extracted secret image could have high visual quality and they are perceptually similar to their original versions. In addition, this method shows high robustness against six different attacks. Embedding in diagonal detail coefficients gives better PSNR than other coefficients.

Image steganography is the study of embedding sensitive information in images without distorting their visual quality. In this paper, we have proposed an efficient image steganography algorithm to embed the secret image in the cover image. In this scheme, the secret image is encrypted that refers to the transformation of the secret data with Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) compound with its hash file that is secured by a secret key. By this means, the embedded image is transformed into a noise-like cipher image called random noise in steganography methods with its HMAC file. The randomness property of the resultant image reduces the possibility of its detection by the human visual system (HVS) and steganalysis techniques. Next, LSB substitution method is employed to embed the transformed image in the cover image. To authenticate the image at the receiver side, the HMAC of the secret image is embedded in the cover image using LSB method. Simulation results have verified the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Image steganography is the art of hiding secret message in greyscale or cover images. Easy detection of secret message for any state-of-art image steganography can break the stego system. To prevent the breakdown of the stego system two tier data hiding is used. In this paper, we propose a high capacity image steganography with greyscale primary cover. Predictive primary cover PPC is computed from the primary cover using median edge detector MED predictor. Predictive error PE is the difference between primary cover and the PPC. The high level bit planes of the secret image payload are X-ORed with low level bit planes of the PPC and vice-verse. The resulting Stego image is embedded in a secondary cover image using bit plane X-OR algorithm. The cover image used is an RGB colour image. The proposed steganography scheme enhances the level of security of the existing bit plane X-OR algorithm without considerably increasing the computation time and detectability. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme achieves higher level of security with high embedding capacity. Higher level of security achieved by the proposed multilayer steganography scheme enhances the performance and security of the bit plane X-OR algorithm.

A user-friendly secret image sharing scheme with reversible steganography based on cellular automata

The visually meaningful image encryption (VMIE) technique is used to offer additional security to the noise-like encrypted image by implanting the secret image in the cover image. Generally, VMIE techniques follow two steps: pre-encryption and embedding. In this paper, an advanced V-Net architecture based VMIE technique is presented. V-Net architecture is based on a Convolution Neural Network (CNN) and offered medical image segmentation, that is utilized in the image into image steganography in the proposed work. In the proposed VMIE technique, the secret image is encrypted by utilizing the 5D chaotic map to provide high security, and the encrypted secret image is implanted into the cover image using a V-Net based embedding method. CNN-based image embedding methods offer high payload capacity and imperceptibility. In these methods, the encoder hides the secret image into the cover and the decoder reconstruct the secret image. Furthermore, a CNN-based efficient decoder is designed in the proposed method. Moreover, to validate the proposed method, standard evaluation parameters are analyzed.

WITHDRAWN: Contrasting the performance metrics of discrete transformations on digital image steganography using artificial intelligence

In this study, the StegoCrypt technique is proposed using a combination of Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and One-Time Pad (OTP). Cover image with size 512 ∗ 512 transformed with Wavelet transformation of four levels. For the first level to the third level, the subband LL is selected to obtain LL3 subband. At fourth level, the LL3 is then transformed into HH4 subband with help of wavelet transformation. This is done to gain strength and imperceptibility to the stego image. The secret message that is used is a binary image with a size of 32 ∗ 32. Secret image is encrypted with OTP before it is inserted in the host image. To test the quality of imperceptibility, stego images were measured using PSNR and MSE. While the quality of secret image reconstruction of extraction and decryption results are measured by using NCC. Robustness of stego image is also tested with JPEG compression attacks. From the test results can be concluded that the proposed method works well and get a better quality stego image. The secret image reconstruction results are also perfect as well as robust to JPEG compression attacks.

Image steganography involves concealing data within a digital image. Reversible steganography is considered as the complete restoration of the original image after the embedded secret data have been extracted. In this research work, a novel quaternion-based image representation technique is proposed for effective representation of images for processing it in quantum computational units. The proposed model is evaluated by implementing the representation of images for reversible image steganography where the images that are represented should be decrypted without loss. The images that were used in this study involve three different sizes 256 × 256 , 512 × 512 , 1024 × 1024 . Here the numerical results of the proposed work shows that the average PSNR value of the original image to the stego image is 44 dB and the average PSNR value to the original image and quantum decrypted image using quaternion function is 74 dB approximately which is 40% greater than the previous quantum representation and the SSIM and MSE values obtained are 95% similar to the previous works. The importance of our contribution is the stego image which is represented using 3-D quaternion rotation undergoes a decryption using LSB–MSB technique which then recovers the original secret and cover image with minimum loss. This shows that the stego image is not affected by the proposed quantum representation.

ABSTRACTIn this paper we proposed a method for image steganography in which the cover image represented using a pseudo hexagonal structure is used for hiding the secret image. As we know, the conventional method of representing a digital image is using square-shaped pixels. Using hexagonal-shaped pixels to represent a digital image is a new approach because of its various advantages like symmetry, higher angular resolution, consistent connectivity, and higher sampling efficiency. This paper describes a method for hiding an image using a pseudo hexagonal structure cover image. In this method the conventional square pixel secret image is embedded in a cover image with pseudo hexagonal structure. Using this method we can hide an image by preserving its quality and the experimental results show that the mean square error between the secret image and the image retrieved from the stego image is zero.

Steganography is a process to conceal the existence of a message. Image Steganography involves hiding the message onto a cover image to obtain a resultant stego image. This paper discusses a procedure for hiding coloured message images onto coloured cover images using a lossy Image Steganography technique. The secret images undergo Discrete Cosine Transformation, quantization and AES encryption before embedding using the Least Significant Bit embedding (LSB) technique onto the cover image. Finally, Peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), Structural Similarity Index measurement (SSIM), zero normalized cross-correlation (ZNCC) are used for comparing the cover and stego images as well as the extracted and original images.

A visually meaningful image encryption scheme with an asymmetric structure based on the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and Schur decomposition is proposed in this study. First, the RSA algorithm is used to generate the initial values for the chaotic system to produce the random sequence. Then, both scrambling and diffusion operations are performed on the plain image to obtain the preencrypted image. Moreover, the Schur decomposition is applied on the preencrypted plain image to obtain the upper triangular and orthogonal matrices. Second, the cover image is scrambled followed by a DWT operation. Four subbands are then formed, namely, LL, HL, LH, and HH. Finally, the former upper triangular matrix and orthogonal matrix are embedded into subbands LH and HH produced by the cover image. After the application of the inverse DWT and inverse scrambling operation, the final visually meaningful cover image embedded with a secret plain image can be obtained. No one can identify any useful information about the plain image from the final embedded cover image, nor can anybody know that there is any hidden secret image. Experimental simulations show that the normalized correlation values between the original cover image and the final visually meaningful cover image are approximately 0.9997. Therefore, the proposed encryption scheme is imperceptible for secret image communications.

This paper presents a new secret sharing scheme for identification of cheaters in the elections. In a proposed scheme secret image (voter ID) is embedded into cover image (Indian emblem) of same size and generates n stego images. The resulting stego images are visually good and look like a cover image. Various image quality metrics are used to assess the quality of stego images. Out of n stego images only last two stego images are required to reconstruct the secret and cover images without any loss. The proposed scheme offers high embedding capacity. Experimental results of proposed scheme shown to be superior in terms of PSNR and visual quality than existing schemes.