Advanced Steganography Algorithm Using Randomized Intermediate QR Host Embedded With Any Encrypted Secret Message: ASA_QR Algorithm

Abstract

Due to tremendous growth in communication technology, now it is a real problem / challenge to send some confidential data / information through communication network. For this reason, Nath et al. developed several information security systems, combining cryptography and steganography together, and the present method, ASA_QR, is also one of them. In the present paper, the authors present a new steganography algorithm to hide any small encrypted secret message inside QR Code TM , which is then randomized and then, finally embed that randomized QR Code inside some common image. Quick Response Codes (or QR Codes) are a type of two-dimensional matrix barcodes used for encoding information. It has become very popular recently for its high storage capacity. The present method is ASA_QR is a combination of strong encryption algorithm and data hiding in two stages to make the entire process extremely hard to break. Here, the secret message is encrypted first and hide it in a QR Code TM and then again that QR Code TM is embed in a cover file (picture file) in random manner, using the standard method of steganography. In this way the data, which is secured, is almost impossible to be retrieved without knowing the cryptography key, steganography password and the exact unhide method. For encrypting data The authors used a method developed by Nath et al i.e. TTJSA, which is based on generalized modified Vernam Cipher, MSA and NJJSA method; and from the cryptanalysis it is seen that TTJSA is free from any standard cryptographic attacks, like differential attack, plain-text attack or any brute force attack. After encrypting the data using TTJSA,the authors have used standard steganographic method To hide data inside some host file. The present method may be used for sharing secret key, password, digital signature etc.

High payload secret hiding technology for QR codes

“…Moreover, the proposed scheme can preserve the original QR content by exploring the characteristic of the error correction capability of the QR tag. Table 6 displays the overall comparison between the related schemes [12][13][14][15][16] and the proposed scheme. Unlike the conventional hiding and watermarking schemes [9][10][11][12][13][14][15], the new scheme embeds the secret into the modules of the QR tag directly [16].…”

“…The processes embed the secret into the pixels/coefficients and into the spatial/frequency domains of the host image. Such embedding algorithms, unfortunately, are unsuitable for the QR tag [9][10][11][12][13][14][15] due to the fact that the embedding schemes treat the QR tag as an image, in which the secret is concealed in the pixel or coefficients of the QR image without considering the characteristics of the QR modules. The decoding processes need further image processing, such as pixel and frequency transformation.…”

“…The secret is incapable of being extracted by the barcode reader directly. The decoding of the schemes [9][10][11][12][13][14][15] limits the real-world applications of QR barcode readers.…”

Secured steganography methodology using combined encryption and quick response codes

“…The use of QR secret messages in steganography [10][11][12][13][14] is not original but the originality of the suggested methodology lies in the utilization of QR secret messages for achieving security levels in transmitting the secret message. This methodology imparts security levels on the secret message to be transferred securing it efficiently.…”

“…The data based scrambling methodologies are also reliable, where a data is created which is shared by both parties to communicate. Somdip Dey et al [14][30] suggested an advanced steganography methodology for embedding the message which involves message to undergo hidden, encoding into QR secret messages, scrambling and then embedding into cover image. The Least Significant Bit methodology is applied to imbed the bits of the secret message in a deterministic sequence, straight into the LSB (Least Significant Bit) plane of an image, referred as cover image.…”