Review: Digital image steganography: Survey and analysis of current methods

Image steganography is used to embed covert messages in the form of files, text, or other images in digital images. The intent is to transmit hidden information. Steganalysis is the process used to detect hidden messages in images. Although steganography is not a new discipline, it has become increasingly important in today's digital world where information is often and easily exchanged through the Internet, email, and other means using computers. The need for better methods and techniques which can be used both to embed hidden information in images and to detect messages hidden in images is driving new research in the area of steganography and steganalysis. This article surveys image steganography and steganalysis. The aim is to introduce the uninformed reader to image steganography and steganalysis. The key concepts behind image steganography and steganalysis are explained. The history and origin of steganography are outlined. Steganography is compared with watermarking in technique and intent. Details of how images are represented are explained. Methods and algorithms used to embed messages in images and to detect embedded messages are explored. Currently available steganography and steganalysis tools are explained. A demonstration of how to embed hidden information in an image using available steganography tools is provided. WIREs Comp Stat 2011 3 251–259 DOI: 10.1002/wics.152

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Image steganography and steganalysis

In this paper we present a novel steganographic approach to increase the security of the data hidden in a cover RGB image. Here we have used LSB insertion method that hides the bits of a secret message into the least significant bit in the red plane of the pixels within a cover image. The pixels are selected by using a random number generator. It is commonly seen that the changes in the LSB of the colour cannot be detected due to noise that is presents in the digital images by the human visual system. The central idea of the proposed method is to increase security, so the data is embedded only into the red plane of the image. We have also explained the method that extracts the hidden message at the receiving end using a key. The main objective of the paper is to combine both the preferences and the resistance to the visual and statistical attacks for a large amount of the data to be hidden in a cover image.

Steganography based on random pixel selection for efficient data hiding

refers to the technique of hiding secret messages into media such as text, audio, image and video without any suspicion, while steganalysis is the art and science of detection of the presence of steganography. It can be used for the benefit of the mankind to serve us as well as by terrorists and criminals for malicious purposes. Both steganography and steganalysis have received a lot of attention from law enforcement and media. In the past, different steganographic techniques with properties of imperceptibility, undetectability, robustness and capacity have been proposed. Newer and more sophisticated steganographic techniques for embedding secret message will require more powerful steganalysis methods for detection. The battle between steganography and steganalysis is never ending. In this paper, an extensive review report is presented for steganography and steganalysis.

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Image Steganography and Steganalysis: A Survey

Steganography is the science that deals with hiding of secret data in some carrier media which may be image, audio, formatted text or video. The main idea behind this is to conceal the very existence of data. We will be dealing here with image steganography. Many algorithms have been proposed for this purpose in spatial & frequency domain. But in almost all the algorithms it has been noticed that as we embed the secret data in the image the certain characteristics or statistics of the image get disturbed. Based on these disturbed statistics steganalysts can get the reflection about the existence of secret data which they further decode with the help of available steganalytic tools. Steganalysis is a science of attacking the hidden data to get an authorized access. Although steganalysis is not a part of this work but it may be sometimes discussed as a part of literature. Even in steganography we are not purely concerned with spatial or frequency domain rather our main emphasis is on adaptive steganography or model based steganography. Adaptive steganography is not entirely a new branch of steganography rather it is based upon spatial & frequency domain with an additional layer of mathematical model. So here we will be dealing with adaptive steganography which take care about the important characteristics & statistics of the cover image well in advance to the embedding of secret data so that the disturbance of image statistics as mentioned earlier, which attracts the forgery or unauthorized access, can be minimized. In this survey we will analyze the various steganography algorithms which are based upon certain mathematical model or in other words algorithms which come under the category of model based steganography.

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Adaptive Steganography: A survey of Recent Statistical Aware Steganography Techniques

Over the past decade, the advancement of a myriad of methods, techniques and technologies to conceal digital evidence and covertly communicate have increased at an alarming rate. In addition, new information suggests that the download of an arsenal of software tools that perform these functions further suggests greater interest and usage of such cyber weapons. Steganography is here, and combined with the Internet and peer to peer networking, it provides criminals, gangs and terrorists with a viable and covert method of communication with guaranteed evidence concealment. This article discusses, in detail, the state-of-the-art in the most advanced Steganography tools and techniques available to perpetrators today. We include statistics regarding Steganography expansion, growth and usage, and discuss the specific digital forensic artifacts that help lead to discovery and extraction. All of the image files used to develop this article are available for free download from the publisher's online editio...

Chet Hosmer

Papers

Discovering Hidden Evidence