A new steganography technique using magic square matrix and affine cipher

Abstract

The need for methods to provide effective protection of data has become necessary due to the huge growth of multimedia applications on networks. Steganography is one of the most widespread approaches to protecting data. The challenge of steganographic methods is to create a rational balance between the quality of the file and the size of data that can be transferred. In addition, the robustness of the technique and security of the obscure data are key factors in determining the effectiveness of the algorithm. In this paper, a new steganography approach is proposed to fulfill the requirements of steganography which are imperceptibility, payload, and robustness. First, the cover image is converted from RGB color space to YCbCr color space. Then, Cb or Cr channel is selected to hide the secret data. The secret data is encrypted using Affine Cipher to increase its security. The Magic Square Matrix is applied to embed the secret code onto the Cb or Cr component using ISB (Intermediates Significant Bits) approach. Finally, the cover image is evaluated after applying the salt-and-pepper noise. The results show that the new proposed method not only improves the security of the payload but can also withstand against attacks.