Enhancing reliability and efficiency for real-time robust adaptive steganography using cyclic redundancy check codes

The development of multimedia and deep learning technology bring new challenges to steganography and steganalysis techniques. Meanwhile, robust steganography, as a class of new techniques aiming to solve the problem of covert communication under lossy channels, has become a new research hotspot in the field of information hiding. To improve the communication reliability and efficiency for current real-time robust steganography methods, a concatenated code, composed of Syndrome–Trellis codes (STC) and cyclic redundancy check (CRC) codes, is proposed in this paper. The enhanced robust adaptive steganography framework proposed is this paper is characterized by a strong error detection capability, high coding efficiency, and low embedding costs. On this basis, three adaptive steganographic methods resisting JPEG compression and detection are proposed. Then, the fault tolerance of the proposed steganography methods is analyzed using the residual model of JPEG compression, thus obtaining the appropriate coding parameters. Experimental results show that the proposed methods have a significantly stronger robustness against compression, and are more difficult to be detected by statistical based steganalytic methods

Improving Robustness of TCM-based Robust Steganography with Variable Robustness

Recent study has found out that after multiple times of recompression, the DCT coefficients of JPEG image can form an embedding domain that is robust to recompression, which is called transport channel matching (TCM) method. Because the cost function of the adaptive steganography does not consider the impact of modification on the robustness, the modified DCT coefficients of the stego image after TCM will change after recompression. To reduce the number of changed coefficients after recompression, this paper proposes a robust steganography algorithm which dynamically updates the robustness cost of every DCT coefficient. The robustness cost proposed is calculated by testing whether the modified DCT coefficient can resist recompression in every step of STC embedding process. By adding robustness cost to the distortion cost and using the framework of STC embedding algorithm to embed the message, the stego images have good performance both in robustness and security. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can significantly enhance the robustness of stego images, and the embedded messages could be extracted correctly at almost all cases when recompressing with a lower quality factor and recompression process is known to the user of proposed algorithm.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, submitted to IWDW 2020: 19th International Workshop on Digital-forensics and Watermarkin

Data Hiding and Its Applications

Data hiding techniques have been widely used to provide copyright protection, data integrity, covert communication, non-repudiation, and authentication, among other applications. In the context of the increased dissemination and distribution of multimedia content over the internet, data hiding methods, such as digital watermarking and steganography, are becoming increasingly relevant in providing multimedia security. The goal of this book is to focus on the improvement of data hiding algorithms and their different applications (both traditional and emerging), bringing together researchers and practitioners from different research fields, including data hiding, signal processing, cryptography, and information theory, among others

Framework for privacy-aware content distribution in peer-to- peer networks with copyright protection

The use of peer-to-peer (P2P) networks for multimedia distribution has spread out globally in recent years. This mass popularity is primarily driven by the efficient distribution of content, also giving rise to piracy and copyright infringement as well as privacy concerns. An end user (buyer) of a P2P content distribution system does not want to reveal his/her identity during a transaction with a content owner (merchant), whereas the merchant does not want the buyer to further redistribute the content illegally. Therefore, there is a strong need for content distribution mechanisms over P2P networks that do not pose security and privacy threats to copyright holders and end users, respectively. However, the current systems being developed to provide copyright and privacy protection to merchants and end users employ cryptographic mechanisms, which incur high computational and communication costs, making these systems impractical for the distribution of big files, such as music albums or movies.El uso de soluciones de igual a igual (peer-to-peer, P2P) para la distribución multimedia se ha extendido mundialmente en los últimos años. La amplia popularidad de este paradigma se debe, principalmente, a la distribución eficiente de los contenidos, pero también da lugar a la piratería, a la violación del copyright y a problemas de privacidad. Un usuario final (comprador) de un sistema de distribución de contenidos P2P no quiere revelar su identidad durante una transacción con un propietario de contenidos (comerciante), mientras que el comerciante no quiere que el comprador pueda redistribuir ilegalmente el contenido más adelante. Por lo tanto, existe una fuerte necesidad de mecanismos de distribución de contenidos por medio de redes P2P que no supongan un riesgo de seguridad y privacidad a los titulares de derechos y los usuarios finales, respectivamente. Sin embargo, los sistemas actuales que se desarrollan con el propósito de proteger el copyright y la privacidad de los comerciantes y los usuarios finales emplean mecanismos de cifrado que implican unas cargas computacionales y de comunicaciones muy elevadas que convierten a estos sistemas en poco prácticos para distribuir archivos de gran tamaño, tales como álbumes de música o películas.L'ús de solucions d'igual a igual (peer-to-peer, P2P) per a la distribució multimèdia s'ha estès mundialment els darrers anys. L'àmplia popularitat d'aquest paradigma es deu, principalment, a la distribució eficient dels continguts, però també dóna lloc a la pirateria, a la violació del copyright i a problemes de privadesa. Un usuari final (comprador) d'un sistema de distribució de continguts P2P no vol revelar la seva identitat durant una transacció amb un propietari de continguts (comerciant), mentre que el comerciant no vol que el comprador pugui redistribuir il·legalment el contingut més endavant. Per tant, hi ha una gran necessitat de mecanismes de distribució de continguts per mitjà de xarxes P2P que no comportin un risc de seguretat i privadesa als titulars de drets i els usuaris finals, respectivament. Tanmateix, els sistemes actuals que es desenvolupen amb el propòsit de protegir el copyright i la privadesa dels comerciants i els usuaris finals fan servir mecanismes d'encriptació que impliquen unes càrregues computacionals i de comunicacions molt elevades que fan aquests sistemes poc pràctics per a distribuir arxius de grans dimensions, com ara àlbums de música o pel·lícules