An improved image steganography technique based on MSB using bit differencing

Abstract

The rapid development of data communication in modern era demands secure exchange of information. Steganography is an established method for hiding data from an unauthorised access. Steganographic techniques hide secret data in different file formats such as: image, text, audio, and video. Invisibility, payload capacity, and security in terms of PSNR and robustness are the key challenges to steganography. In this paper, a novel image stegnography technique based on most significant bits (MSB) of image pixels is proposed. Bit No. 5 is used to store the secret bits based on the difference of bit No. 5 and 6 of cover image. If the difference of bit No. 5 and 6 is different from secret data bit then the value of bit No. 5 is changed. The results state that the proposed technique ensures significant improvements in signal to noise ratio. Usually, the hackers focus on LSB bits for secret data extraction but the proposed technique utilizes the MSB bits that make it more secure from unauthorized access. Furthermore, the presented technique is not only secure, but computationally efficient as well.