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Journal Article•DOI•

Detecting LSB steganography in color, and gray-scale images

01 Oct 2001-IEEE MultiMedia (IEEE Computer Society Press)-Vol. 8, Iss: 4, pp 22-28
TL;DR: In this article, a reliable and accurate method for detecting least significant bit (LSB) nonsequential embedding in digital images is described. But this method relies on the assumption that the secret message length is derived by inspecting the lossless capacity in the LSB and shifted LSB plane.
Abstract: We describe a reliable and accurate method for detecting least significant bit (LSB) nonsequential embedding in digital images. The secret message length is derived by inspecting the lossless capacity in the LSB and shifted LSB plane. An upper bound of 0.005 bits per pixel was experimentally determined for safe LSB embedding.
Citations
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Book•
24 Oct 2001
TL;DR: Digital Watermarking covers the crucial research findings in the field and explains the principles underlying digital watermarking technologies, describes the requirements that have given rise to them, and discusses the diverse ends to which these technologies are being applied.
Abstract: Digital watermarking is a key ingredient to copyright protection. It provides a solution to illegal copying of digital material and has many other useful applications such as broadcast monitoring and the recording of electronic transactions. Now, for the first time, there is a book that focuses exclusively on this exciting technology. Digital Watermarking covers the crucial research findings in the field: it explains the principles underlying digital watermarking technologies, describes the requirements that have given rise to them, and discusses the diverse ends to which these technologies are being applied. As a result, additional groundwork is laid for future developments in this field, helping the reader understand and anticipate new approaches and applications.

2,849 citations

Journal Article•DOI•
TL;DR: This paper provides a state-of-the-art review and analysis of the different existing methods of steganography along with some common standards and guidelines drawn from the literature and some recommendations and advocates for the object-oriented embedding mechanism.

1,572 citations

Journal Article•DOI•
TL;DR: The proposed modification to the least-significant-bit (LSB) matching, a steganographic method for embedding message bits into a still image, shows better performance than traditional LSB matching in terms of distortion and resistance against existing steganalysis.
Abstract: This letter proposes a modification to the least-significant-bit (LSB) matching, a steganographic method for embedding message bits into a still image. In the LSB matching, the choice of whether to add or subtract one from the cover image pixel is random. The new method uses the choice to set a binary function of two cover pixels to the desired value. The embedding is performed using a pair of pixels as a unit, where the LSB of the first pixel carries one bit of information, and a function of the two pixel values carries another bit of information. Therefore, the modified method allows embedding the same payload as LSB matching but with fewer changes to the cover image. The experimental results of the proposed method show better performance than traditional LSB matching in terms of distortion and resistance against existing steganalysis.

923 citations

Book•
Jessica Fridrich1•
12 Nov 2009
TL;DR: This clear, self-contained guide shows you how to understand the building blocks of covert communication in digital media files and how to apply the techniques in practice, including those of steganalysis, the detection of Steganography.
Abstract: Steganography, the art of hiding of information in apparently innocuous objects or images, is a field with a rich heritage, and an area of rapid current development. This clear, self-contained guide shows you how to understand the building blocks of covert communication in digital media files and how to apply the techniques in practice, including those of steganalysis, the detection of steganography. Assuming only a basic knowledge in calculus and statistics, the book blends the various strands of steganography, including information theory, coding, signal estimation and detection, and statistical signal processing. Experiments on real media files demonstrate the performance of the techniques in real life, and most techniques are supplied with pseudo-code, making it easy to implement the algorithms. The book is ideal for students taking courses on steganography and information hiding, and is also a useful reference for engineers and practitioners working in media security and information assurance.

616 citations

Journal Article•DOI•
TL;DR: An edge adaptive scheme which can select the embedding regions according to the size of secret message and the difference between two consecutive pixels in the cover image is proposed and can enhance the security significantly compared with typical LSB-based approaches as well as their edge adaptive ones, while preserving higher visual quality of stego images at the same time.
Abstract: The least-significant-bit (LSB)-based approach is a popular type of steganographic algorithms in the spatial domain. However, we find that in most existing approaches, the choice of embedding positions within a cover image mainly depends on a pseudorandom number generator without considering the relationship between the image content itself and the size of the secret message. Thus the smooth/flat regions in the cover images will inevitably be contaminated after data hiding even at a low embedding rate, and this will lead to poor visual quality and low security based on our analysis and extensive experiments, especially for those images with many smooth regions. In this paper, we expand the LSB matching revisited image steganography and propose an edge adaptive scheme which can select the embedding regions according to the size of secret message and the difference between two consecutive pixels in the cover image. For lower embedding rates, only sharper edge regions are used while keeping the other smoother regions as they are. When the embedding rate increases, more edge regions can be released adaptively for data hiding by adjusting just a few parameters. The experimental results evaluated on 6000 natural images with three specific and four universal steganalytic algorithms show that the new scheme can enhance the security significantly compared with typical LSB-based approaches as well as their edge adaptive ones, such as pixel-value-differencing-based approaches, while preserving higher visual quality of stego images at the same time.

594 citations

References
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Journal Article•DOI•
TL;DR: It is shown that public key information hiding systems exist, and are not necessarily constrained to the case where the warden is passive, and the use of parity checks to amplify covertness and provide public key steganography.
Abstract: In this paper, we clarify what steganography is and what it can do. We contrast it with the related disciplines of cryptography and traffic security, present a unified terminology agreed at the first international workshop on the subject, and outline a number of approaches-many of them developed to hide encrypted copyright marks or serial numbers in digital audio or video. We then present a number of attacks, some new, on such information hiding schemes. This leads to a discussion of the formidable obstacles that lie in the way of a general theory of information hiding systems (in the sense that Shannon gave us a general theory of secrecy systems). However, theoretical considerations lead to ideas of practical value, such as the use of parity checks to amplify covertness and provide public key steganography. Finally, we show that public key information hiding systems exist, and are not necessarily constrained to the case where the warden is passive.

1,270 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

1,220 citations

Book Chapter•DOI•
29 Sep 1999
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present both visual and statistical attacks, making use of the ability of humans to clearly discern between noise and visual patterns, and automate statistical attacks which are much easier to automate.
Abstract: The majority of steganographic utilities for the camouflage of confidential communication suffers from fundamental weaknesses. On the way to more secure steganographic algorithms, the development of attacks is essential to assess security. We present both visual attacks, making use of the ability of humans to clearly discern between noise and visual patterns, and statistical attacks which are much easier to automate.

915 citations

Journal Article•DOI•
TL;DR: It is argued that steganography by itself does not ensure secrecy, but neither does simple encryption, and if these methods are combined, however, stronger encryption methods result.
Abstract: Steganography is the art of hiding information in ways that prevent the detection of hidden messages. It includes a vast array of secret communications methods that conceal the message's very existence. These methods include invisible inks, microdots, character arrangement, digital signatures, covert channels, and spread spectrum communications. Steganography and cryptography are cousins in the spycraft family: cryptography scrambles a message so it cannot be understood while steganography hides the message so it cannot be seen. In this article the authors discuss image files and how to hide information in them, and discuss results obtained from evaluating available steganographic software. They argue that steganography by itself does not ensure secrecy, but neither does simple encryption. If these methods are combined, however, stronger encryption methods result. If an encrypted message is intercepted, the interceptor knows the text is an encrypted message. But with steganography, the interceptor may not know that a hidden message even exists. For a brief look at how steganography evolved, there is included a sidebar titled "Steganography: Some History."

644 citations

Book Chapter•DOI•
14 Apr 1998
TL;DR: Characteristics in current steganography software that direct the steganalyst to the existence of a hidden message are identified and the ground work of a tool for automatically detecting theexistence of hidden messages in images is introduced.
Abstract: Steganography is the art of passing information in a manner that the very existence of the message is unknown. The goal of steganography is to avoid drawing suspicion to the transmission of a hidden message. If suspicion is raised, then this goal is defeated. Steganalysis is the art of discovering and rendering useless such covert messages. In this paper, we identify characteristics in current steganography software that direct the steganalyst to the existence of a hidden message and introduce the ground work of a tool for automatically detecting the existence of hidden messages in images.

383 citations