Enhancing Data Protection in Digital Communication: A Novel Method of Combining Steganography and Encryption

• Khaled H. Abuhmaidan,
• Marwan A. Al-Share,
• Abdallah M. Abualkishik,
• Ahmad Kayed,

Vol. 18, No. 6, June 30, 2024
10.3837/tiis.2024.06.011, Download Paper (Free):

• Digital images
• Data security
• Encryption
• Randomization
• Steganography.

Abstract

In today's highly digitized landscape, securing digital communication is paramount due to threats like hacking, unauthorized data access, and network policy violations. The response to these challenges has been the development of cryptography applications, though many existing techniques face issues of complexity, efficiency, and limitations. Notably, sophisticated intruders can easily discern encrypted data during transmission, casting doubt on overall security. In contrast to encryption, steganography offers the unique advantage of concealing data without easy detection, although it, too, grapples with challenges. The primary hurdles in image steganography revolve around the quality and payload capacity of the cover image, which are persistently compromised. This article introduces a pioneering approach that integrates image steganography and encryption, presenting the BitPatternStego method. This novel technique addresses prevalent issues in image steganography, such as stego-image quality and payload, by concealing secret data within image pixels with identical bit patterns as their characters. Consequently, concerns regarding the quality and payload capacity of steganographic images become obsolete. Moreover, the BitPatternStego method boasts the capability to generate millions of keys for the same secret message, offering a robust and versatile solution to the evolving landscape of digital security challenges.

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