High capacity steganographic method based upon JPEG

The two most important aspects of any image-based steganographic system are the quality of the stegoimage and the capacity of the cover image. This paper proposes a novel and high capacity steganographic approach based on Discrete Cosine Transformation (DCT) and JPEG compression. JPEG technique divides the input image into non-overlapping blocks of 8x8 pixels and uses the DCT transformation. However, our proposed method divides the cover image into nonoverlapping blocks of 16x16 pixels. For each quantized DCT block, the least two-significant bits (2-LSBs) of each middle frequency coefficient are modified to embed two secret bits. Our aim is to investigate the data hiding efficiency using larger blocks for JPEG compression. Our experiment result shows that the proposed approach can provide a higher information hiding capacity than Jpeg-Jsteg and Chang et al. methods based on the conventional blocks of 8x8 pixels. Furthermore, the produced stego-images are almost identical to the original cover images

A new data embedding method for mpeg layer III audio steganography

A new method of MP3 steganography is proposed with emphasis on increasing the steganography capacity of the carrier medium. This paper proposes a data embedding algorithm to hide more information for compressed bitstream of MP3 audio files. The sign bits of Huffman codes are selected as the stego-object according to the Huffman coding characteristic in region of Count1. Embedding process does not require the main MP3 audio file during the extraction of hidden message and the size of MP3 file cannot be changed in this step. Our proposed method caused much higher information embedding capacity with lower computational complexity compared with MP3Stego tools. Experimental results show an excellent imperceptibility for the new algorithm

Security and imperceptibility improving of image steganography using pixel allocation and random function techniques

Information security is one of the main aspects of processes and methodologies in the technical age of information and communication. The security of information should be a key priority in the secret exchange of information between two parties. In order to ensure the security of information, there are some strategies that are used, and they include steganography and cryptography. An effective digital image-steganographic method based on odd/even pixel allocation and random function to increase the security and imperceptibility has been improved. This lately developed outline has been verified for increasing the security and imperceptibility to determine the existent problems. Huffman coding has been used to modify secret data prior embedding stage; this modified equivalent secret data that prevent the secret data from attackers to increase the secret data capacities. The main objective of our scheme is to boost the peak-signal-to-noise-ratio (PSNR) of the stego cover and stop against any attack. The size of the secret data also increases. The results confirm good PSNR values in addition of these findings confirmed the proposed method eligibility

A novel steganography approach for audio files

We present a novel robust and secure steganography technique to hide images into audio files aiming at increasing the carrier medium capacity. The audio files are in the standard WAV format, which is based on the LSB algorithm while images are compressed by the GMPR technique which is based on the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and high frequency minimization encoding algorithm. The method involves compression-encryption of an image file by the GMPR technique followed by hiding it into audio data by appropriate bit substitution. The maximum number of bits without significant effect on audio signal for LSB audio steganography is 6 LSBs. The encrypted image bits are hidden into variable and multiple LSB layers in the proposed method. Experimental results from observed listening tests show that there is no significant difference between the stego audio reconstructed from the novel technique and the original signal. A performance evaluation has been carried out according to quality measurement criteria of Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR)

Synthetic steganography: Methods for generating and detecting covert channels in generated media

Issues of privacy in communication are becoming increasingly important. For many people and businesses, the use of strong cryptographic protocols is sufficient to protect their communications. However, the overt use of strong cryptography may be prohibited or individual entities may be prohibited from communicating directly. In these cases, a secure alternative to the overt use of strong cryptography is required. One promising alternative is to hide the use of cryptography by transforming ciphertext into innocuous-seeming messages to be transmitted in the clear. ^ In this dissertation, we consider the problem of synthetic steganography: generating and detecting covert channels in generated media. We start by demonstrating how to generate synthetic time series data that not only mimic an authentic source of the data, but also hide data at any of several different locations in the reversible generation process. We then design a steganographic context-sensitive tiling system capable of hiding secret data in a variety of procedurally-generated multimedia objects. Next, we show how to securely hide data in the structure of a Huffman tree without affecting the length of the codes. Next, we present a method for hiding data in Sudoku puzzles, both in the solved board and the clue configuration. Finally, we present a general framework for exploiting steganographic capacity in structured interactions like online multiplayer games, network protocols, auctions, and negotiations. Recognizing that structured interactions represent a vast field of novel media for steganography, we also design and implement an open-source extensible software testbed for analyzing steganographic interactions and use it to measure the steganographic capacity of several classic games. ^ We analyze the steganographic capacity and security of each method that we present and show that existing steganalysis techniques cannot accurately detect the usage of the covert channels. We develop targeted steganalysis techniques which improve detection accuracy and then use the insights gained from those methods to improve the security of the steganographic systems. We find that secure synthetic steganography, and accurate steganalysis thereof, depends on having access to an accurate model of the cover media

Hide text depending on the three channels of pixels in color images using the modified LSB algorithm

At the moment, with the great development of information and communications technology, the transfer of confidential and sensitive data through public communications such as the Internet is very difficult to keep them from hackers and attackers. Therefore, it is necessary to work on the development of new and innovative ways to transfer such information and protect it to ensure that it reaches the desired goal. The goal of a new technique to hide information design not only hides the secret message behind the center cover, but it also provides increased security. The most common way to transfer important and confidential data is through embedding it into cover medium files in a way that does not affect the accuracy of the carrier file, which is known as hiding. In this paper, encryption and concealment techniques were used to protect data transferred from attackers. The proposed method relied on encryption of confidential information using the encryption key and the Xnor gate, after which the encrypted information was hidden in a color image using the LSB algorithm. The method of concealment depends on the extraction of chromatic channels of three RGB for each pixel and specifying the channel in which the bit of the encryption message will be hidden. Some metrics have been adopted to measure the quality of the resulting picture after hiding as PSNR and MSE, and achieve good results

An Adaptive FLV Steganography Approach Using Simulated Annealing

Steganography is not only the art of hiding secret messages in cover media but also a process of communication and secure data transfer. Secret messages can be sent over the Internet with security by using several steganography techniques, but all of them present challenges in steganalysis. This study proposes a new secure technique called flash video (FLV) file steganography that keeps the frame video quality and is difficult to detect. The technique can hide any type of secret message inside a given FLV file. The secret message is divided into packets of the same length, reordered packet, and encrypted bytes before being hidden at the end of a selected video tag. A simulated annealing (SA) approach to select tags for steganography is presented to reduce or avoid the challenge of steganalysis. The proposed method uses SA as supporting framework to deal with the FLV file as a host for different types of secret messages. The system determines the minimum path within the host FLV file by using SA and hides the message bits inside each pixel in the minimum computed path. Analysis of the host FLV file cannot be performed without proper knowledge on the transformation process. Thus, the existence of the secret message is difficult to detect by steganalysis. Knowledge is represented by the key of finding the minimum path in the host FLV file, key of secret message length, key of additional bytes, key of message packets reordering and key of message extension. Experimental results show that the proposed technique satisfies the main requirements of steganography with regard to visual appearance, capacity, undetectability, and robustness against extraction