Stegacryption of DICOM Metadata

Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) files are an international data standard for storing, distributing and processing medical images of all types. DICOM files include a header file containing Metadata on details which may include information on the patient. This often inhibits the free distribution of DICOM files due to issues relating to the confidentiality of data on identifiable living people, thereby limiting the potential for other radiologists to provide a diagnosis, for example, through distribution of the data over the Internet. This problem is a current limiting condition with regard to the development of Tele-medical imaging. Thus in this paper we consider a method of encrypting and embedding (or Stegacrypting) DICOM Metadata into the DICOM image, thereby providing a solution to a problem that currently inhibits the distribution of medical images using a file type that is an established international standard. The proposed method removes or ‘anonymises’ the private data, encrypt it and then embeds it into the DICOM image in an imperceptible way. The specific algorithm developed retains the private data attached to a DICOM image even when the image is converted into a standard image file format. Keywords — Coding and Encryption, Information Hiding, Medica

Digital Watermarking: Digital Data Hiding techniques for BMP Images

Purpose: This research evaluates the digital watermarking technology further for hide/retrieved data into the BMP file by manipulating the contents their pixel value using least significant bits (LSB) approach. Methodology: Various experiments have been applied on the pixel value of the BMP file to hide/store the maximum data. With a condition the size and the quality of the BMP file will not change. The trail and error methods have been used or applied to check the various sizes with various qualities. Findings: The study finds that the any digital data can be hiding into the BMP file by manipulating the contents of the Red Green Blue (RGB) value by applying least significant approach. Originality/Value: Due to the growing usage of multimedia content on the internet, serious issues have emerged. Counterfeiting, forgery fraud and pirating of this content are rising. The research is a mechanism which can help resolve the ownership issues for digital data

An enhanced method based on intermediate significant bit technique for watermark images

Intermediate Significant Bit digital watermarking technique (ISB) is a new approved technique of embedding a watermark by replacing the original image pixels with new pixels. This is done by ensuring a close connection between the new pixels and the original, and at the same time, the watermark data can be protected against possible damage. One of the most popular methods used in watermarking is the Least Significant Bit (LSB). It uses a spatial domain that includes the insertion of the watermark in the LSB of the image. The problem with this method is it is not resilient to common damage, and there is the possibility of image distortion after embedding a watermark. LSB may be used through replacing one bit, two bits, or three bits; this is done by changing the specific bits without any change in the other bits in the pixel. The objective of this thesis is to formulate new algorithms for digital image watermarking with enhanced image quality and robustness by embedding two bits of watermark data into each pixel of the original image based on ISB technique. However, to understand the opposite relationship between the image quality and robustness, a tradeoff between them has been done to create a balance and to acquire the best position for the two embedding bits. Dual Intermediate Significant Bits (DISB) technique has been proposed to solve the existing LSB problem. Trial results obtained from this technique are better compared with the LSB based on the Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) and Normalized Cross Correlation (NCC). The work in this study also contributes new mathematical equations that can study the change on the other six bits in the pixel after embedding two bits

Embedding Strength Criteria for AWGN Watermark, Robust Against Expected Distortion

In this paper we engage in AWGN watermark for grayscale image (the message is embedded by adding of white Gaussian noise matrix; detection is blind, correlation based). We search criteria for ``the best'' (minimal one which guaranties watermark detectability) embedding strength for watermark robust against expected attack. These criteria we find for AWGN watermarks, which are embedded in spatial or in transform domains; for one bit message or for a longer message; into whole image or into some of its coefficients. This paper peculiarity is that we do not propose new watermarking algorithm; for well known, robust algorithm we find the best embedding strength for robust watermark

Digital Watermarking: Digital Data Hiding techniques for BMP Images

Purpose: This research evaluates the digital watermarking technology further for hide/retrieved data into the BMP file by manipulating the contents their pixel value using least significant bits (LSB) approach. Methodology: Various experiments have been applied on the pixel value of the BMP file to hide/store the maximum data. With a condition the size and the quality of the BMP file will not change. The trail and error methods have been used or applied to check the various sizes with various qualities. Findings: The study finds that the any digital data can be hiding into the BMP file by manipulating the contents of the Red Green Blue (RGB) value by applying least significant approach. Originality/Value: Due to the growing usage of multimedia content on the internet, serious issues have emerged. Counterfeiting, forgery fraud and pirating of this content are rising. The research is a mechanism which can help resolve the ownership issues for digital data