Abstract
Image steganography is one of the most important research areas of information security where secret data is embedded in the images to conceal its existence while getting the minimum possible statistical detectability. To achieve a good tradeoff between the hiding capacity and image quality, more work needs to be further researched. In this paper, we propose high capacity data hiding scheme by employing the absolute moment block truncation coding (AMBTC) compression. It exploits the redundancy of blocks of the AMBTC-compressed image to embed the secret data. The pixel values of the AMBTC-compressed image are modified at most by one for hiding the secret data. Thus, it is able to maintain the stego-image quality after hiding the secret data. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme and show that it outperforms various existing methods in terms of both hiding capacity and stego-image quality.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Artz, D. (2001). Digital steganography: Hiding data within data. IEEE Internet Computing, 5(3), 75–80.
Chang, C. C., Chen, Y. H., & Lin, C. C. (2009). A data embedding scheme for color images based on genetic algorithm and absolute moment block truncation coding. Soft Computing, 13, 321–331.
Chang, C. C., Lin, C. Y., & Fan, Y. H. (2008). Lossless data hiding for color images based on block truncation coding. Pattern Recognitation, 41(7), 2347–2357.
Chen, J., Hong, W., Chen, T. S., & Shiu, C. W. (2010). Steganography for BTC compressed images using no distortion technique. The Imaging Science Journal, 58(4), 177–185.
Chuang, J., & Chang, C. (2006). Using a simple and fast image compression algorithm to hide secret information. International Journal of Computer and Application, 28(4), 329–333.
Huang, Y. H., Chang, C. C., & Chen, Y. H. (2016). Hybrid secret hiding schemes based on absolute moment block truncation coding. Multimedia Tools and Applications. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-015-3208-y.
Hu, Y. C., & Chang, C. C. (1999). Quadtree-segmented image coding schemes using vector quantization and block truncation coding. Optical Engineering, 39(2), 464–471.
Lema, M., & Mitchell, O. (1984). Absolute moment block truncation coding and its application to color images. IEEE Transaction on Communcations, 32, 1148–1157.
Li, F., Bharanitharan, K., Chang, C. C., & Mao, Q. (2015). Bi-stretch reversible data hiding algorithm for absolute moment block truncation coding compressed images. Multimedia Tools and Applications. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-015-2924-7.
Li, S., Leung, K., Cheng, L. M., & Chan, C. K. (2006). A novel image-hiding scheme based on block difference. Pattern Recognition, 39(6), 1168–1176.
Li, C. H., Lu, Z. M., & Su, Y. X. (2011). Reversible data hiding for BTC-compressed images based on bitplane flipping and histogram shifting of mean tables. Information Technology Journal, 10(7), 1421–1426.
Lin, C. C., Liu, X. L., Tai, W. L., & Yuan, S. M. (2013). A novel reversible data hiding scheme based on AMBTC compression technique. Multimedia Tools and Applications. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-013-1801-5.
Lin, I. C., Lin, Y. B., & Wang, C. M. (2009). Hiding data in spatial domain images with distortion tolerance. Computer Standards & Interfaces, 31(2), 458–464.
Lin, C. C., Tai, W. L., & Chang, C. C. (2008). Multilevel reversible data hiding based on histogram modification of difference images. Pattern Recognitation, 41(12), 3582–3591.
Lu, Z. M., Wang, J. X., & Liu, B. B. (2009). An improved lossless data hiding scheme based on image VQ-index residual value coding. Journal of Systems and Software, 82(6), 1016–1024.
Malik, A., Sikka, G., & Verma, H. K. (2016). A high payload data hiding scheme based on modified AMBTC technique. Multimedia Tools and Applications. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-016-3815-2.
Ou, D., & Sun, W. (2014). High payload image steganography with minimum distortion based on absolute moment block truncation coding. Multimedia Tools and Applications. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-014-2059-2.
Pan, J., Li, W., & Lin, C. (2014). Novel reversible data hiding scheme for AMBTC-compressed images by reference matrix. Communications in Computer and Information Science, 473, 427–436.
Raj, I. (2012). Image data hiding in images based on interpolative absolute moment block truncation coding. Communications in Computer and Information Science, 283, 456–463.
Sun, W., Lu, Z. M., & Wen, Y. C. (2013). High performance reversible data hiding for block truncation coding compressed images. Signal, Image and Video Processing, 7(2), 297–306.
Wang, K., Lu, Z. M., & Hu, Y. J. (2013). A high capacity lossless data hiding scheme for JPEG images. Journal of Systems and Software, 86, 1965–1975.
Xuan, G., Shi, Y. Q., Yao, Q., Ni, Z., Yang, C., & Gao, J. (2006). Lossless data hiding using histogram shifting method based on integer wavelets. In 2006 international workshop on digital watermarking. Lecture notes in computer science (Vol. 4823, pp. 323–332).
Yang, B., Schmucker, M., Funk, W., Brush, C., & Sun, S. (2011). Integer DCT-based reversible watermarking for images using companding technique. International Journal of Electronics and Communications, 65, 814–826.
Zhang, Y., Shi-Ze, G., Zhe-Ming, L., & Hao, L. (2013). Reversible data hiding for btc-compressed images based on lossless coding of mean tables. IEICE Transactions on Communications, 96(2), 624–631.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Malik, A., Sikka, G. & Verma, H.K. An AMBTC compression based data hiding scheme using pixel value adjusting strategy. Multidim Syst Sign Process 29, 1801–1818 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11045-017-0530-8
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11045-017-0530-8