Informatics Publishing Limited

Abstract

This paper proposes two novel multi-layer security techniques that exploit the advantages of two important security techniques–steganography and image encryption. Image steganography technique presents an important task for the data transmission; it provides transferring the embedded information to the destination without being detected by concealing the existence of hidden secret data inside a cover image. Unlike the text, images have different characteristics such as bulk data capacity and high data redundancy, so the encryption of images is different from that used with texts. This paper presents two powerful encrypted steganogrophic techniques using the chaotic encryption. The chaos based cryptographic algorithms are considered an efficient and secured image encryption technique. In this work, the steganography firstly, is used with 2D Logistic map and secondly used with Chaotic Baker map as two proposed multi-layer security techniques. Once the secret image is embedded in a cover image using Least Significant Bit (LSB) based Steganography it is encrypted using 2D Logistic map or Chaotic Baker map to produce a higher security algorithm. Different image analyses were verified and the results of the algorithms prove that, the proposed techniques can be implemented practically and efficiently to protect a high sensitive and secure data such as nuclear and military information.

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