A Linked List Encryption Scheme for Image Steganography without Embedding

Information steganography has received more and more attention from scholars nowadays,especially in the area of image steganography,which uses image content to transmit information and makes the existence of secret information undetectable.To enhance concealment and security,the Steganography without Embedding(SWE)method has proven effective in avoiding image distortion resulting from cover modification.In this paper,a novel encrypted communication scheme for image SWE is proposed.It reconstructs the image into a multi-linked list structure consisting of numerous nodes,where each pixel is transformed into a single node with data and pointer domains.By employing a special addressing algorithm,the optimal linked list corresponding to the secret information can be identified.The receiver can restore the secretmessage fromthe received image using only the list header position information.The scheme is based on the concept of coverless steganography,eliminating the need for any modifications to the cover image.It boasts high concealment and security,along with a complete message restoration rate,making it resistant to steganalysis.Furthermore,this paper proposes linked-list construction schemeswithin theproposedframework,which caneffectively resist a variety of attacks,includingnoise attacks and image compression,demonstrating a certain degree of robustness.To validate the proposed framework,practical tests and comparisons are conducted using multiple datasets.The results affirm the framework’s commendable performance in terms of message reduction rate,hidden writing capacity,and robustness against diverse attacks.

A Review on the Recent Trends of Image Steganography for VANET Applications

Image steganography is a technique of concealing confidential information within an image without dramatically changing its outside look.Whereas vehicular ad hoc networks(VANETs),which enable vehicles to communicate with one another and with roadside infrastructure to enhance safety and traffic flow provide a range of value-added services,as they are an essential component of modern smart transportation systems.VANETs steganography has been suggested by many authors for secure,reliable message transfer between terminal/hope to terminal/hope and also to secure it from attack for privacy protection.This paper aims to determine whether using steganography is possible to improve data security and secrecy in VANET applications and to analyze effective steganography techniques for incorporating data into images while minimizing visual quality loss.According to simulations in literature and real-world studies,Image steganography proved to be an effectivemethod for secure communication on VANETs,even in difficult network conditions.In this research,we also explore a variety of steganography approaches for vehicular ad-hoc network transportation systems like vector embedding,statistics,spatial domain(SD),transform domain(TD),distortion,masking,and filtering.This study possibly shall help researchers to improve vehicle networks’ability to communicate securely and lay the door for innovative steganography methods.

A Shuffling-Steganography Algorithm to Protect Data of Drone Applications

In Saudi Arabia,drones are increasingly used in different sensitive domains like military,health,and agriculture to name a few.Typically,drone cameras capture aerial images of objects and convert them into crucial data,alongside collecting data from distributed sensors supplemented by location data.The interception of the data sent from the drone to the station can lead to substantial threats.To address this issue,highly confidential protection methods must be employed.This paper introduces a novel steganography approach called the Shuffling Steganography Approach(SSA).SSA encompasses five fundamental stages and three proposed algorithms,designed to enhance security through strategic encryption and data hiding techniques.Notably,this method introduces advanced resistance to brute force attacks by employing predefined patterns across a wide array of images,complicating unauthorized access.The initial stage involves encryption,dividing,and disassembling the encrypted data.A small portion of the encrypted data is concealed within the text(Algorithm 1)in the third stage.Subsequently,the parts are merged and mixed(Algorithm 2),and finally,the composed text is hidden within an image(Algorithm 3).Through meticulous investigation and comparative analysis with existing methodologies,the proposed approach demonstrates superiority across various pertinent criteria,including robustness,secret message size capacity,resistance to multiple attacks,and multilingual support.

A Dynamic YOLO-Based Sequence-Matching Model for Efficient Coverless Image Steganography

Many existing coverless steganography methods establish a mapping relationship between cover images and hidden data.One issue with these methods is that as the steganographic capacity increases,the number of images stored in the database grows exponentially.This makes it challenging to build and manage a large image database.To improve the image library utilization and anti-attack capability of the steganography system,we propose an efficient coverless scheme based on dynamically matched substrings.We utilize You Only Look Once(YOLO)for selecting optimal objects and create a mapping dictionary between these objects and scrambling factors.Using this dictionary,each image is effectively assigned to a specific scrambling factor,which is then used to scramble the receiver’s sequence key.To achieve sufficient steganography capability with a limited image library,all substrings of the scrambled sequences have the potential to hide data.After matching the secret information,the ideal number of stego images will be obtained from the database.According to experimental results,this technology outperforms most previous works in terms of data load,transmission security,and hiding capacity.It can recover an average of 79.85%of secret information under typical geometric attacks,and only approximately 200 random images are needed to achieve a capacity of 19 bits per image.

An Improved Image Steganography Security and Capacity Using Ant Colony Algorithm Optimization

This advanced paper presents a new approach to improving image steganography using the Ant Colony Optimization(ACO)algorithm.Image steganography,a technique of embedding hidden information in digital photographs,should ideally achieve the dual purposes of maximum data hiding and maintenance of the integrity of the cover media so that it is least suspect.The contemporary methods of steganography are at best a compromise between these two.In this paper,we present our approach,entitled Ant Colony Optimization(ACO)-Least Significant Bit(LSB),which attempts to optimize the capacity in steganographic embedding.The approach makes use of a grayscale cover image to hide the confidential data with an additional bit pair per byte,both for integrity verification and the file checksumof the secret data.This approach encodes confidential information into four pairs of bits and embeds it within uncompressed grayscale images.The ACO algorithm uses adaptive exploration to select some pixels,maximizing the capacity of data embedding whileminimizing the degradation of visual quality.Pheromone evaporation is introduced through iterations to avoid stagnation in solution refinement.The levels of pheromone are modified to reinforce successful pixel choices.Experimental results obtained through the ACO-LSB method reveal that it clearly improves image steganography capabilities by providing an increase of up to 30%in the embedding capacity compared with traditional approaches;the average Peak Signal to Noise Ratio(PSNR)is 40.5 dB with a Structural Index Similarity(SSIM)of 0.98.The approach also demonstrates very high resistance to detection,cutting down the rate by 20%.Implemented in MATLAB R2023a,the model was tested against one thousand publicly available grayscale images,thus providing robust evidence of its effectiveness.

Randomization Strategies in Image Steganography Techniques:A Review

Image steganography is one of the prominent technologies in data hiding standards.Steganographic system performance mostly depends on the embedding strategy.Its goal is to embed strictly confidential information into images without causing perceptible changes in the original image.The randomization strategies in data embedding techniques may utilize random domains,pixels,or region-of-interest for concealing secrets into a cover image,preventing information from being discovered by an attacker.The implementation of an appropriate embedding technique can achieve a fair balance between embedding capability and stego image imperceptibility,but it is challenging.A systematic approach is used with a standard methodology to carry out this study.This review concentrates on the critical examination of several embedding strategies,incorporating experimental results with state-of-the-art methods emphasizing the robustness,security,payload capacity,and visual quality metrics of the stego images.The fundamental ideas of steganography are presented in this work,along with a unique viewpoint that sets it apart from previous works by highlighting research gaps,important problems,and difficulties.Additionally,it offers a discussion of suggested directions for future study to advance and investigate uncharted territory in image steganography.

Image Steganography by Pixel-Value Differencing Using General Quantization Ranges

A new steganographic method by pixel-value differencing(PVD)using general quantization ranges of pixel pairs’difference values is proposed.The objective of this method is to provide a data embedding technique with a range table with range widths not limited to powers of 2,extending PVD-based methods to enhance their flexibility and data-embedding rates without changing their capabilities to resist security attacks.Specifically,the conventional PVD technique partitions a grayscale image into 1×2 non-overlapping blocks.The entire range[0,255]of all possible absolute values of the pixel pairs’grayscale differences in the blocks is divided into multiple quantization ranges.The width of each quantization range is a power of two to facilitate the direct embedding of the bit information with high embedding rates.Without using power-of-two range widths,the embedding rates can drop using conventional embedding techniques.In contrast,the proposed method uses general quantization range widths,and a multiple-based number conversion mechanism is employed skillfully to implement the use of nonpower-of-two range widths,with each pixel pair being employed to embed a digit in the multiple-based number.All the message bits are converted into a big multiple-based number whose digits can be embedded into the pixel pairs with a higher embedding rate.Good experimental results showed the feasibility of the proposed method and its resistance to security attacks.In addition,implementation examples are provided,where the proposed method adopts non-power-of-two range widths and employsmultiple-based number conversion to expand the data-hiding and steganalysis-resisting capabilities of other PVD methods.

A Review of Image Steganography Based on Multiple Hashing Algorithm

Steganography is a technique for hiding secret messages while sending and receiving communications through a cover item.From ancient times to the present,the security of secret or vital information has always been a significant problem.The development of secure communication methods that keep recipient-only data transmissions secret has always been an area of interest.Therefore,several approaches,including steganography,have been developed by researchers over time to enable safe data transit.In this review,we have discussed image steganography based on Discrete Cosine Transform(DCT)algorithm,etc.We have also discussed image steganography based on multiple hashing algorithms like the Rivest–Shamir–Adleman(RSA)method,the Blowfish technique,and the hash-least significant bit(LSB)approach.In this review,a novel method of hiding information in images has been developed with minimal variance in image bits,making our method secure and effective.A cryptography mechanism was also used in this strategy.Before encoding the data and embedding it into a carry image,this review verifies that it has been encrypted.Usually,embedded text in photos conveys crucial signals about the content.This review employs hash table encryption on the message before hiding it within the picture to provide a more secure method of data transport.If the message is ever intercepted by a third party,there are several ways to stop this operation.A second level of security process implementation involves encrypting and decrypting steganography images using different hashing algorithms.

High-Secured Image LSB Steganography Using AVL-Tree with Random RGB Channel Substitution

Random pixel selection is one of the image steganography methods that has achieved significant success in enhancing the robustness of hidden data.This property makes it difficult for steganalysts’powerful data extraction tools to detect the hidden data and ensures high-quality stego image generation.However,using a seed key to generate non-repeated sequential numbers takes a long time because it requires specific mathematical equations.In addition,these numbers may cluster in certain ranges.The hidden data in these clustered pixels will reduce the image quality,which steganalysis tools can detect.Therefore,this paper proposes a data structure that safeguards the steganographic model data and maintains the quality of the stego image.This paper employs the AdelsonVelsky and Landis(AVL)tree data structure algorithm to implement the randomization pixel selection technique for data concealment.The AVL tree algorithm provides several advantages for image steganography.Firstly,it ensures balanced tree structures,which leads to efficient data retrieval and insertion operations.Secondly,the self-balancing nature of AVL trees minimizes clustering by maintaining an even distribution of pixels,thereby preserving the stego image quality.The data structure employs the pixel indicator technique for Red,Green,and Blue(RGB)channel extraction.The green channel serves as the foundation for building a balanced binary tree.First,the sender identifies the colored cover image and secret data.The sender will use the two least significant bits(2-LSB)of RGB channels to conceal the data’s size and associated information.The next step is to create a balanced binary tree based on the green channel.Utilizing the channel pixel indicator on the LSB of the green channel,we can conceal bits in the 2-LSB of the red or blue channel.The first four levels of the data structure tree will mask the data size,while subsequent levels will conceal the remaining digits of secret data.After embedding the bits in the binary tree level by level,the model restores the AVL tree to create the stego image.Ultimately,the receiver receives this stego image through the public channel,enabling secret data recovery without stego or crypto keys.This method ensures that the stego image appears unsuspicious to potential attackers.Without an extraction algorithm,a third party cannot extract the original secret information from an intercepted stego image.Experimental results showed high levels of imperceptibility and security.

Elevating Image Steganography:A Fusion of MSB Matching and LSB Substitution for Enhanced Concealment Capabilities

In today’s rapidly evolving landscape of communication technologies,ensuring the secure delivery of sensitive data has become an essential priority.To overcome these difficulties,different steganography and data encryption methods have been proposed by researchers to secure communications.Most of the proposed steganography techniques achieve higher embedding capacities without compromising visual imperceptibility using LSB substitution.In this work,we have an approach that utilizes a combinationofMost SignificantBit(MSB)matching andLeast Significant Bit(LSB)substitution.The proposed algorithm divides confidential messages into pairs of bits and connects them with the MSBs of individual pixels using pair matching,enabling the storage of 6 bits in one pixel by modifying a maximum of three bits.The proposed technique is evaluated using embedding capacity and Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio(PSNR)score,we compared our work with the Zakariya scheme the results showed a significant increase in data concealment capacity.The achieved results of ourwork showthat our algorithmdemonstrates an improvement in hiding capacity from11%to 22%for different data samples while maintaining a minimumPeak Signal-to-Noise Ratio(PSNR)of 37 dB.These findings highlight the effectiveness and trustworthiness of the proposed algorithm in securing the communication process and maintaining visual integrity.

A Novel LSB Steganography Technique for Enhancing Cloud Security

Steganography is a technique that is frequently used to hide hidden information in multimedia artifacts including music, video, and images. In order to protect data saved in the cloud, this paper presents a steganography method for encrypting sound utilizing LSB-based computation. By using the least significant bit (LSB) of a byte to represent a message and then substituting each LSB bit with a binary message and encrypting a significant quantity of data. The proposed system uses the LSB technique of picture steganography, Multi-Level Encryption Algorithm (MLEA) and Two-Level Encryption Algorithm (TLEA) data encryption to give the highest level of cloud security. Compared to other current schemes, the performance of the suggested method is 1.732125% better on average.

Improved Video Steganography with Dual Cover Medium,DNA and Complex Frames

The most valuable resource on the planet is no longer oil,but data.The transmission of this data securely over the internet is another challenge that comes with its ever-increasing value.In order to transmit sensitive information securely,researchers are combining robust cryptography and steganographic approaches.The objective of this research is to introduce a more secure method of video steganography by using Deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA)for embedding encrypted data and an intelligent frame selection algorithm to improve video imperceptibility.In the previous approach,DNA was used only for frame selection.If this DNA is compromised,then our frames with the hidden and unencrypted data will be exposed.Moreover the frame selected in this way were random frames,and no consideration was made to the contents of frames.Hiding data in this way introduces visible artifacts in video.In the proposed approach rather than using DNA for frame selection we have created a fakeDNA out of our data and then embedded it in a video file on intelligently selected frames called the complex frames.Using chaotic maps and linear congruential generators,a unique pixel set is selected each time only from the identified complex frames,and encrypted data is embedded in these random locations.Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed technique shows minimum degradation of the stenographic video hence reducing the very first chances of visual surveillance.Further,the selection of complex frames for embedding and creation of a fake DNA as proposed in this research have higher peak signal-to-noise ratio(PSNR)and reduced mean squared error(MSE)values that indicate improved results.The proposed methodology has been implemented in Matlab.

Cover Enhancement Method for Audio Steganography Based on Universal Adversarial Perturbations with Sample Diversification

Steganography techniques,such as audio steganography,have been widely used in covert communication.However,the deep neural network,especially the convolutional neural network(CNN),has greatly threatened the security of audio steganography.Besides,existing adversarial attacks-based countermeasures cannot provide general perturbation,and the trans-ferability against unknown steganography detection methods is weak.This paper proposes a cover enhancement method for audio steganography based on universal adversarial perturbations with sample diversification to address these issues.Universal adversarial perturbation is constructed by iteratively optimizing adversarial perturbation,which applies adversarial attack tech-niques,such as Deepfool.Moreover,the sample diversification strategy is designed to improve the transferability of adversarial perturbations in black-box attack scenarios,where two types of common audio-processing operations are considered,including noise addition and moving picture experts group audio layer III(MP3)compression.Furthermore,the perturbation ensemble method is applied to further improve the attacks’transferability by integrating perturbations of different detection networks with heterogeneous architec-tures.Consequently,the single universal adversarial perturbation can enhance different cover audios against a CNN-based detection network.Extensive experiments have been conducted,and the results demonstrate that the average missed-detection probabilities of the proposed method are higher than those of the state-of-the-art methods by 7.3%and 16.6%for known and unknown detection networks,respectively.It verifies the efficiency and transferability of the proposed methods for the cover enhancement of audio steganography.

A New Generative Mathematical Model for Coverless Steganography System Based on Image Generation

The ability of any steganography system to correctly retrieve the secret message is the primary criterion for measuring its efficiency.Recently,researchers have tried to generate a new natural image driven from only the secret message bits rather than using a cover to embed the secret message within it;this is called the stego image.This paper proposes a new secured coverless steganography system using a generative mathematical model based on semi Quick Response(QR)code and maze game image generation.This system consists of two components.The first component contains two processes,encryption process,and hiding process.The encryption process encrypts secret message bits in the form of a semi-QR code image whereas the hiding process conceals the pregenerated semi-QR code in the generated maze game image.On the other hand,the second component contains two processes,extraction and decryption,which are responsible for extracting the semi-QR code from the maze game image and then retrieving the original secret message from the extracted semi-QR code image,respectively.The results were obtained using the bit error rate(BER)metric.These results confirmed that the system achieved high hiding capacity,good performance,and a high level of robustness against attackers compared with other coverless steganography methods.

Topic Controlled Steganography via Graph-to-Text Generation

Generation-based linguistic steganography is a popular research area of information hiding.The text generative steganographic method based on conditional probability coding is the direction that researchers have recently paid attention to.However,in the course of our experiment,we found that the secret information hiding in the text tends to destroy the statistical distribution characteristics of the original text,which indicates that this method has the problem of the obvious reduction of text quality when the embedding rate increases,and that the topic of generated texts is uncontrollable,so there is still room for improvement in concealment.In this paper,we propose a topic-controlled steganography method which is guided by graph-to-text generation.The proposed model can automatically generate steganographic texts carrying secret messages from knowledge graphs,and the topic of the generated texts is controllable.We also provide a graph path coding method with corresponding detailed algorithms for graph-to-text generation.Different from traditional linguistic steganography methods,we encode the secret information during graph path coding rather than using conditional probability.We test our method in different aspects and compare it with other text generative steganographic methods.The experimental results show that the model proposed in this paper can effectively improve the quality of the generated text and significantly improve the concealment of steganographic text.

Optimizing Region of Interest Selection for Effective Embedding in Video Steganography Based on Genetic Algorithms

With the widespread use of the internet,there is an increasing need to ensure the security and privacy of transmitted data.This has led to an intensified focus on the study of video steganography,which is a technique that hides data within a video cover to avoid detection.The effectiveness of any steganography method depends on its ability to embed data without altering the original video’s quality while maintaining high efficiency.This paper proposes a new method to video steganography,which involves utilizing a Genetic Algorithm(GA)for identifying the Region of Interest(ROI)in the cover video.The ROI is the area in the video that is the most suitable for data embedding.The secret data is encrypted using the Advanced Encryption Standard(AES),which is a widely accepted encryption standard,before being embedded into the cover video,utilizing up to 10%of the cover video.This process ensures the security and confidentiality of the embedded data.The performance metrics for assessing the proposed method are the Peak Signalto-Noise Ratio(PSNR)and the encoding and decoding time.The results show that the proposed method has a high embedding capacity and efficiency,with a PSNR ranging between 64 and 75 dBs,which indicates that the embedded data is almost indistinguishable from the original video.Additionally,the method can encode and decode data quickly,making it efficient for real-time applications.

An Enhanced Graphical Authentication Scheme Using Multiple-Image Steganography

Most remote systems require user authentication to access resources.Text-based passwords are still widely used as a standard method of user authentication.Although conventional text-based passwords are rather hard to remember,users often write their passwords down in order to compromise security.One of the most complex challenges users may face is posting sensitive data on external data centers that are accessible to others and do not be controlled directly by users.Graphical user authentication methods have recently been proposed to verify the user identity.However,the fundamental limitation of a graphi-cal password is that it must have a colorful and rich image to provide an adequate password space to maintain security,and when the user clicks and inputs a pass-word between two possible grids,the fault tolerance is adjusted to avoid this situation.This paper proposes an enhanced graphical authentication scheme,which comprises benefits over both recognition and recall-based graphical techniques besides image steganography.The combination of graphical authentication and steganography technologies reduces the amount of sensitive data shared between users and service providers and improves the security of user accounts.To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme,peak signal-to-noise ratio and mean squared error parameters have been used.

Coverless Image Steganography System Based on Maze Game Generation

The trend of digital information transformation has become a topic of interest.Many data are threatening;thus,protecting such data from attackers is considered an essential process.Recently,a new methodology for data concealing has been suggested by researchers called coverless steganography.Coverless steganography can be accomplished either by building an image database to match its image subblocks with the secret message to obtain the stego image or by generating an image.This paper proposes a coverless image steganography system based on pure image generation using secret message bits with a capacity higher than the other traditional systems.The system uses the secret message to generate the stego image in the form of one of the Intelligence Quotient(IQ)games,the maze.Firstly,a full grid is generated with several specific rows and columns determined from the number of bits of the secret message.Then,these bits are fed to the full grid to form the maze game stego image.Finally,the generated maze game stego image is sent to the recipient.The experimental results,using the Bit Error Rate(BER),were conducted,and confirmed the strength of this system represented by a high capacity,perfect performance,robustness,and stronger hiding system compared with existing coverless steganography systems.

数字图像隐写分析综述

数字隐写是机密信息安全传递的重要方式,将机密信息隐藏于普通多媒体数据(图像或视音频)中可以实现隐蔽传输。而发现机密信息的隐蔽传输可采用隐写分析技术,隐写分析根据隐写引起的载体数据统计异常来判断多媒体数据是否含有秘密信息。近年来,隐写与隐写分析在相互对抗中不断进步与发展。随着社交网络的兴起,数字图像已成为社交媒介之一并广泛传播。本文以数字图像为例,梳理了近十余年数字图像隐写分析研究的发展现状;综述了传统隐写分析与深度学习隐写分析;探讨了各类方法面临的挑战,并展望了隐写分析的发展趋势。

基于可逆网络的轻量化图像隐写方案

目前,基于深度学习的隐写模型的隐写容量有所提高,但由于网络结构复杂,需要大量的时间来训练。为此,提出轻量化的可逆神经网络结构,并以此设计了高效图像隐写方案,采用基于密集连接的可逆神经网络实现图像的隐藏与恢复,在减少可逆块数量的同时,增加每个可逆块中可逆函数f(·)、r(·)和y(·)的卷积块数量来保证图像质量。这样能够显著降低计算和存储开销,使得模型在计算资源有限的设备上运行更加高效,模型开发和迭代的过程更加高效,有效地节省了宝贵的计算资源。载体图像与秘密图像通过正向隐藏可逆变换生成含密图像,含密图像与随机变量通过反向恢复可逆变换得到恢复图像。实验结果表明,与HiNet算法相比,轻量级网络结构能够得到良好的图像质量且更具安全性,同时训练时间缩短了46%,隐写时间缩短了28%。