Frequency-domain data hiding based on the Matryoshka principle

Abstract

This paper introduces a novel steganography paradigm using the 'Matryoshka principle', a design paradigm, also known as 'nested doll principle', that denotes a recognisable relationship of "similar object-within-similar object" that appears in the design of many natural and man made entities. This new steganography framework for image-within-image hiding exploits spectral properties of the Fourier magnitude and phase of natural images. The theory is that, as long as the Fourier phase of an image is maintained intact, the overall appearance of an image remains unchanged if the Fourier magnitude of the image is slightly modified.