Pixel steganography method for grayscale image steganography on colour images

Abstract

The process of hiding secret data within a host signal is known as steganography; its design parameters are imperceptibility, concealment capacity, and recovered data quality. A case of images, one of the existing methods based on modification of the host image pixels is called Block Pixel Hiding Method (BPHM), which has good imperceptibility and high-capacity concealment but does not guarantee the quality of the secret image recovered. This article proposes a method that improves results BPHM based on band selection and search algorithm global called Improved Pixel Hiding Method (IPHM). According to the simulations carried out, the results obtained with IPHM are better than those obtained with BPHM. They are similar to one of the more popular methods in imaging steganography known as Quantization Index Modulation (QIM). Steganography is the method of hiding hidden data within a host signal, with imperceptibility, concealment capacity, and retrieved data quality as design criteria. In the case of images, Block Pixel Hiding Method (BPHM) is one of the available methods based on modifying the host picture pixels, which has good imperceptibility and high-capacity concealment but does not guarantee the quality of the hidden picture recovered. Improved Pixel Hiding Method is a method proposed in this article that improves BPHM outcomes by using band selection and a global search algorithm (IPHM). The results obtained using IPHM are better than those achieved with BPHM, according to simulations. They're related to Quantization Index Modulation, which is one of the most widely used picture steganography techniques (QIM).