Abstract
Recently, reversible information hiding (RIH) methods have drawn substantial attention in many privacy-sensitive real-time applications, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) enabled communications, electronic health care infrastructure, and military applications. The RIH methods are proven to be competent in such hyper-sensitive infrastructures where the loss of a single bit of information is not acceptable. In this paper, dual-layered based RIH method using modified least significant bit (LSB) matching has been proposed. The objective of the proposed work is to enhance the embedding efficiency (EE) using dual-layer based embedding strategy and to curtail the distortion caused to the stego-image to improve its quality. At the first layer of embedding, each pixel conceals two bits of information using the proposed modified LSB matching method to produce the intermediate pixel pair (IPP). Further, the IPP is utilized to conceal four bits of information during the next layer of embedding. Experimental study reveals that, the proposed method can embed 1,572,864 bits of secret data with peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of 47.86 dB, 48.05 dB, 46.51 dB and 48.14 dB, for the respective images. Further, the image quality assessment parameters like structural similarity (SSIM) index and universal image quality index (Q) are as good as the existing literature. Additionally, the proposed method shows excellent anti-steganalysis ability to regular and singular (RS) and pixel difference histogram (PDH) analysis.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Shi, Y. Q., Li, X., Zhang, X., Wu, H. T., & Ma, B. (2016). Reversible data hiding: Advances in the past two decades. IEEE Access, 4, 3210–3237.
Subhedar, M. S., & Mankar, V. H. (2014). Current status and key issues in image steganography: A survey. Computer Science Review, 13, 95–113.
Cheddad, A., Condell, J., Curran, K., & Mc Kevitt, P. (2010). Digital image steganography: Survey and analysis of current methods. Signal Processing, 90(3), 727–752.
Pradhan, A., Sahu, A. K., Swain, G., & Sekhar, K. R. (2016). Performance evaluation parameters of image steganography techniques. In IEEE international conference on research advances in integrated navigation systems (pp. 1–8).
Hussain, M., Wahab, A. W. A., Idris, Y. I. B., Ho, A. T., & Jung, K. H. (2018). Image steganography in spatial domain: A survey. Signal Processing: Image Communication, 65, 46–66.
Sahu, A. K., & Swain, G. (2019). An optimal information hiding approach based on pixel value differencing and modulus function. Wireless Personal Communications. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-019-06393-z.
Sahu, A. K., & Swain, G. (2018). Pixel overlapping image steganography using PVD and modulus function. 3D Research, 9, 40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13319-018-0188-5.
Sahu, A. K., Swain, G., & Babu, E. S. (2018). Digital image steganography using bit flipping. Cybernetics and Information Technologies, 18(1), 69–80.
Gutub, A. A. A. (2010). Pixel indicator technique for RGB image steganography. Journal of Emerging Technologies in Web Intelligence, 2(1), 56–64.
Sahu, A. K., & Swain, G. (2019). A novel n-rightmost bit replacement image steganography technique. 3D Research, 10, 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13319-018-0211-x.
Abu-Marie, W., Gutub, A., & Abu-Mansour, H. (2010). Image based steganography using truth table based and determinate array on RGB indicator. International Journal of Signal & Image Processing, 1(3), 196–204.
Sahu, A. K., & Swain, G. (2019). A novel multi stego-image based data hiding method for gray scale image. Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 27(2), 753–768.
Liao, X., Qin, Z., & Ding, L. (2017). Data embedding in digital images using critical functions. Signal Processing: Image Communication, 58, 146–156.
Liao, X., Li, K., & Yin, J. (2017). Separable data hiding in encrypted image based on compressive sensing and discrete fourier transform. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 76(20), 20739–20753.
Liao, X., Yu, Y., Li, B., Li, Z., & Qin, Z. (2019). A new payload partition strategy in color image steganography. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology. https://doi.org/10.1109/tcsvt.2019.2896270.
Shi, Y. Q., Ni, Z., Zou, D., Liang, C., & Xuan, G. (2004, May). Lossless data hiding: Fundamentals, algorithms and applications. In 2004 IEEE international symposium on circuits and systems (IEEE Cat. No. 04CH37512) (Vol. 2, pp. II-33). IEEE.
Barton, J. M. (1997). Method and apparatus for embedding authentication information within digital data, U.S. Patent 5646997.
Tian, J. (2003). Reversible data embedding using a difference expansion. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology, 13(8), 890–896.
Alattar, A. M. (2004). Reversible watermark using the difference expansion of a generalized integer transform. IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, 13(8), 1147–1156.
Kim, H. J., Sachnev, V., Shi, Y. Q., Nam, J., & Choo, H. G. (2008). A novel difference expansion transform for reversible data embedding. IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security, 3(3), 456–465.
Ni, Z., Shi, Y. Q., Ansari, N., & Su, W. (2006). Reversible data hiding. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology, 16(3), 354–362.
Tsai, P., Hu, Y. C., & Yeh, H. L. (2009). Reversible image hiding scheme using predictive coding and histogram shifting. Signal Processing, 89(6), 1129–1143.
Thodi, D. M., & Rodríguez, J. J. (2007). Expansion embedding techniques for reversible watermarking. IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, 16(3), 721–730.
Li, J., Li, X., & Yang, B. (2013). Reversible data hiding scheme for color image based on prediction-error expansion and cross-channel correlation. Signal Processing, 93(9), 2748–2758.
Ou, B., Li, X., Zhao, Y., & Ni, R. (2014). Reversible data hiding using invariant pixel-value-ordering and prediction-error expansion. Signal Processing: Image Communication, 29(7), 760–772.
Ou, B., Li, X., & Wang, J. (2016). Improved PVO-based reversible data hiding: A new implementation based on multiple histograms modification. Journal of Visual Communication and Image Representation, 38, 328–339.
Ou, B., Li, X., & Wang, J. (2016). High-fidelity reversible data hiding based on pixel-value-ordering and pairwise prediction-error expansion. Journal of Visual Communication and Image Representation, 39, 12–23.
Li, X., Yang, B., & Zeng, T. (2011). Efficient reversible watermarking based on adaptive prediction-error expansion and pixel selection. IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, 20(12), 3524–3533.
Lu, T. C., Tseng, C. Y., & Wu, J. H. (2015). Dual imaging-based reversible hiding technique using LSB matching. Signal Processing, 108, 77–89.
Mielikainen, J. (2006). LSB matching revisited. IEEE Signal Processing Letters, 13(5), 285–287.
Jung, K. H. (2015). Dual image based reversible data hiding method using neighbouring pixel value differencing. The Imaging Science Journal, 63(7), 398–407.
Wu, D. C., & Tsai, W. H. (2003). A steganographic method for images by pixel-value differencing. Pattern Recognition Letters, 24(9–10), 1613–1626.
Hussain, M., Wahab, A. W. A., Javed, N., & Jung, K. H. (2018). Recursive information hiding scheme through LSB, PVD shift, and MPE. IETE Technical Review, 35(1), 53–63.
Hameed, M. A., Aly, S., & Hassaballah, M. (2017). An efficient data hiding method based on adaptive directional pixel value differencing (ADPVD). Multimedia Tools and Applications, 77(12), 14705–14723.
USC-SIPI Image Database. Retrieved 11 February, 2019 http://sipi.usc.edu/database/database.php?volume=misc.
Gutub, A., Al-Qahtani, A., & Tabakh, A. (2009). Triple-A: Secure RGB image steganography based on randomization. In IEEE/ACS International Conference on Computer Systems and Applications, 2009. AICCSA 2009 (pp 400–403). IEEE.
Hassaballah, M., Makky, M. M., & Mahdy, Y. B. (2005). A fast fractal image compression method based entropy. ELCVIA Electronic Letters on Computer Vision and Image Analysis, 5(1), 30–40.
Wang, Z., Bovik, A. C., Sheikh, H. R., & Simoncelli, E. P. (2004). Image quality assessment: From error visibility to structural similarity. IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, 13(4), 600–612.
Swain, G. (2019). Two new steganography techniques based on quotient value differencing with addition-subtraction logic and PVD with modulus function. Optik, 180, 807–823.
Swain, G. (2016). Adaptive pixel value differencing steganography using both vertical and horizontal edges. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 75(21), 13541–13556.
Sahu, A. K., & Swain, G. (2019). Dual Stego-imaging based reversible data hiding using improved LSB matching. International Journal of Intelligent Engineering and Systems, 12(5), 63–73.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sahu, A.K., Swain, G. Reversible Image Steganography Using Dual-Layer LSB Matching. Sens Imaging 21, 1 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11220-019-0262-y
Received:
Revised:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11220-019-0262-y