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Two-dimensional modified pixel value differencing (\(2D-MPVD\)) image steganography with error control and security using stream encryption

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Abstract

Along with the development of communication networks and the facilitation of multimedia data transmission, the issue of data security is always raised, and there is a concern that the data will reach the recipient without any changes or distortions. Information security is achieved through three essential mechanisms: encryption, steganography and watermarking. In this research, a proposed steganography mechanism is used to hide information in the image media, which includes the main features of high capacity, confidentiality, and integrity. Stream cipher and checksum error control are used to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of information hidden in the digital media, respectively. Two-dimensional pixel difference (\(2D-MPVD\)) is used in the proposed digital imaging method, which hides bits of the secret message in 8 pairs of pixels of non-overlapping sub-images with size \(4\times 4\). MPVD is a modified PVD method that embeds a pair of pixels in each area of the image. It has a high embedding capacity and a zero-extraction error. The \(2D-MPVD\) steganography can embed a large number of secret message bits into a digital cover image with high imperceptibility as it makes use of the features of human visual sensitivity. Additionally, \(2D-MPVD\) uses cryptography keys and permutation keys to encrypt the secret message in pixels pairs, greatly enhancing its security. The results of the proposed algorithm on different images show a good structural similarity between the cover image and the stego image, and also the standard values of the peak signal-to-noise (PSNR) ratio and the capacity to embed information are desirable.

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Data Availability Statement (DAS)

No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study, but I am willing to send the source code to reviewers if they are interested.

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  1. Department of Computer Engineering, Islamic Azad University-South Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran

    Ali Broumandnia

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Broumandnia, A. Two-dimensional modified pixel value differencing (\(2D-MPVD\)) image steganography with error control and security using stream encryption. Multimed Tools Appl 83, 21967–22003 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-023-16268-y

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