Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A cycling chaos-based cryptic-free algorithm for image steganography

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Nonlinear Dynamics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In recent years, chaotic systems have surfaced to become an important field in steganographic matters. In this paper, we present a simple cryptic-free least significant bits spatial- domain-based steganographic technique that embeds information (a color or a grayscale image) into a color image. The proposed algorithm, called cycling chaos-based steganographic algorithm, comprises two main parts: A cycling chaos function that is used for generating the seeds for pseudorandom number generator (PRNG) and PRNG that is utilized for determining the channel and the pixel positions of the host image in which the sensitive data are stored. The proposed algorithm is compared with two powerful steganographic color image methods in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio and quality index. The comparisons indicate that the proposed algorithm shows good hiding capacity and fulfills stego-image quality. We also compare our algorithm against some existing steganographic attacks including RS attack, Chi-square test, byte attack and visual attack. The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can successfully withstand against these attacks.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Chang, C.-C., Lin, C.-Y., Wang, Y.-Z.: New image steganographic methods using run-length approach. Inf. Sci. 176(22), 3393–3408 (2006)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  2. Liu, C.-L., Liao, S.-R.: High-performance jpeg steganography using complementary embedding strategy. Pattern Recogn. 41(9), 2945–2955 (2008)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Kanso, A., Own, H.S.: Steganographic algorithm based on a chaotic map. Commun. Nonlinear Sci. Numer. Simul. 17(8), 3287–3302 (2012)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  4. Lou, D.-C., Hu, C.-H.: Lsb steganographic method based on reversible histogram transformation function for resisting statistical steganalysis. Inf. Sci. 188, 346–358 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Yu, Y.-H., Chang, C.-C., Lin, I.-C.: A new steganographic method for color and grayscale image hiding. Comput. Vis. Image Underst. 107(3), 183–194 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Chang, C.-C., Tai, W.-L., Lin, C.-C.: A reversible data hiding scheme based on side match vector quantization. IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol. 16(10), 1301–1308 (2006). doi:10.1109/TCSVT.2006.882380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Dumitrescu, S., Wu, X.: A new framework of lsb steganalysis of digital media. Signal Process. IEEE Trans. 53(10), 3936–3947 (2005)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  8. Palacios, A., Juarez, H.: Cryptography with cycling chaos. Phys. Lett. A 303(5–6), 345–351 (2002)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  9. Baptista, M.: Cryptography with chaos. Phys. Lett. A 240(1–2), 50–54 (1998)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  10. Sabery, K., Yaghoobi, M.: A simple and robust approach for image hiding using chaotic logistic map. In: Advanced Computer Theory and Engineering, 2008. ICACTE ’08. International Conference on, pp. 623–627 (2008)

  11. Bassham, III, L.E., Rukhin, A.L., Soto, J., Nechvatal, J.R., Smid, M.E., Barker, E.B., Leigh, S.D., Levenson, M., Vangel, M., Banks, D.L., Heckert, N.A., Dray, J.F., Vo, S.: Sp 800-22 rev. 1a. a statistical test suite for random and pseudorandom number generators for cryptographic applications. Technical report, Gaithersburg, MD, USA (2010)

  12. Lin, M.H., Hu, Y.C., Chang, C.C.: Both color and gray scale secret images hiding in a color image. Int. J. Pattern Recogn. Artif. 16(6), 697–713 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Sharma, G.: Digital Color Imaging Handbook. CRC Press, Boca Raton (2002)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  14. Orchard, M., Bouman, C.: Color quantization of images. IEEE Trans. Signal Process. 39(12), 2677–2690 (1991)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Heckbert, P.: Color image quantization for frame buffer display. SIGGRAPH Comput. Graph. 16(3), 297–307 (1982)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Wan, S.J., Prusinkiewicz, P., Wong, S.K.M.: Variance-based color image quantization for frame buffer display. Color Res. Appl. 15(1), 52–58 (1990)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Lo, K.C., Chan, Y.H., Yu, M.P.: Colour quantization by three-dimensional frequency diffusion. Pattern Recogn. Lett. 24(14), 2325–2334 (2003)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  18. Sirisathitkul, Y., Auwatanamongkol, S., Uyyanonvara, B.: Color image quantization using distances between adjacent colors along the color axis with highest color variance. Pattern Recogn. Lett. 25(9), 1025–1043 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Celebi, M., Wen, Q., Hwang, S.: An effective real-time color quantization method based on divisive hierarchical clustering. J. Real-Time Image Process. 1–16 (2012)

  20. Su, Q., Hu, Z.: Color image quantization algorithm based on self-adaptive differential evolution. Intell. Neurosci. 2013, 3:3–3:3 (2013)

  21. Goldberg, N.: Colour image quantization for high resolution graphics display. Image Vis. Comput. 9(5), 303–312 (1991)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Thomas, S.W.: Efficient inverse color map computation. In: Arvo, J. (ed.) Graphics Gems II, pp. 116–125. Academic Press, Waltham (1991)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  23. Cachin, C.: An information-theoreticmodel for steganography. Inf. Comput. 192(1), 41–56 (2004)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  24. Tadiparthi, G.R., Sueyoshi, T.: A novel steganographic algorithm using animations as cover. Decis. Support Syst. 45(number), 937–948 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Moulin, P., O’Sullivan, J.: Information-theoretic analysis of information hiding. IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory 49(3), 563–593 (2003)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  26. Malini, M., Anurenjan, P.: A new algorithm for data hiding in images using contourlet transform (2011)

  27. Liao, S.-R., Liu, C.-L.: High-performance jpeg steganography using complementary embedding strategy. Pattern Recogn. 45, 2945–2955 (2008)

  28. Zhao, Y., Zhao, N., Ren, G., Zhang, B.: A novel large capacity image hiding method based on the orthogonal chaotic sequences. In: Intelligent Information Hiding and Multimedia Signal Processing, 2006. IIH-MSP ’06. International Conference on, pp. 613–616 (2006)

  29. Tsai, D.-S., Horng, G., Chen, T.-H., Huang, Y.-T.: A novel secret image sharing scheme for true-color images with size constraint. Inf. Sci. 179(19), 3247–3254 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Multiprecision computing toolbox. http://www.advanpix.com/

  31. Mazloom, S., Eftekhari-Moghadam, A.M.: Color image encryption based on coupled nonlinear chaotic map. Chaos Solitons Fractals 42(3), 1745–1754 (2009)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  32. Wang, Y., Wong, K.-W., Liao, X., Chen, G.: A new chaos-based fast image encryption algorithm. Appl. Soft Comput. 11(1), 514–522 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. University of Southern California, Standard test images, volume 3: miscellaneous. http://sipi.usc.edu/database/database.php?volume=misc

  34. Rongrong, N., Qiuqi, R.: Embedding information into color images using wavelet. In: TENCON ’02. Proceedings. 2002 IEEE Region 10 Conference on Computers, Communications, Control and Power Engineering, vol. 1, pp. 598–601 (2002)

  35. Liu, T., Zheng-ding, Q.: A dwt-based color image steganography scheme. In: Signal Processing, 2002 6th International Conference on, vol. 2, pp. 1568–1571 (2002)

  36. Wang, Z., Bovik, A.: A universal image quality index. IEEE Signal Process. Lett. 9, 81–84 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Ghebleh, M., Kanso, A.: A robust chaotic algorithm for digital image steganography. Commun. Nonlinear Sci. Numer. Simul. 19(6), 1898–1907 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Provos, N., Honeyman, P.: Detecting steganographic content on the internet. Technical report. In: ISOC NDSS02 (2001)

  39. El-Loco, G.: A few tools to discover hidden data. http://www.guillermito2.net/stegano/tools/index.html

  40. Fridrich, J., Goljan, M., Du, R.: Detecting LSB steganography in color and gray-scale images. IEEE MultiMedia 8(4), 22–28 (2001)

  41. Muoz, A.: A simple steganalysis tool: StegSecret. http://stegsecret.sourceforge.net

  42. Lian, S.: Multimedia Content Encryption: Techniques and Applications, 1st edn. Auerbach Publications, Boston (2008)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. AmirKabir University of Technology, Vali Asr St., Tehran, Iran

    Mahdi Aziz

  2. Department of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Mohammad H. Tayarani-N

  3. Sama Technical and Vocational Training College, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad Branch, Mashhad, Iran

    Mehdi Afsar

Authors
  1. Mahdi Aziz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mohammad H. Tayarani-N
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mehdi Afsar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mahdi Aziz.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Aziz, M., Tayarani-N, M.H. & Afsar, M. A cycling chaos-based cryptic-free algorithm for image steganography. Nonlinear Dyn 80, 1271–1290 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11071-015-1943-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11071-015-1943-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation