IJCSMS International Journal of Computer Science & Management Studies, Vol.

13, Issue 02, March 2013 ISSN (Online): 2231 5268 www.ijcsms.com

Review of Cryptography and Steganography Techniques

Anika Anand1, Deepak Gupta2
1

M.Tech Student, Vaish College of Engineering, Rohtak, Haryana (India) anand.anika01@yahoo.com

Associate Professor, Vaish College of Engineering, Rohtak, Haryana (India) deepakgupta.vce@gmail.com

Abstract
Information security is of utmost importance in todays fast developing era. Information or messages are being exchanged over various types of networks. A large part of this information is confidential or private which increases the demand for a more robust method of data transfer. Steganography and Cryptography are two widely used techniques that manipulate information in order to cipher or hide their existence. Steganography is an art and science of hiding the message in such a way that no one other than the intended recipient knows about the existence of message. Steganography can be applied on many objects like audio, video, text etc. Cryptography is the study of methods of sending messages in the disguised form to the intended recipients. Steganography and cryptography both techniques share the common goals and services of protecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information from unauthorized access. In this paper various steganography and cryptography with their techniques are studied: Spectrum, Phase coding, RSA (Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Len Adlemen), DES (Data Encryption Standard).

Keywords: Steganography, Cryptography, coding, Parity coding, spread.

LSB

1. Introduction
Communication through internet and digital media has become an essential part of infrastructure now a days and it is important that communication be made secret. As a result, the security of information passed over an open channel has become a fundamental issue and therefore, the confidentiality and data integrity are required to protect against unauthorized access and use. This has resulted in an unstable growth in the field of information hiding. Steganography and cryptography and are the two popular methods available to provide security [1]. Steganography is the art and science of communicating in a way which hides the existence of

the communication. Cryptography scrambles a message so it cannot be understood by the unintended recipient. Cryptography and Steganography achieve the same goal using different means [1]. The power of steganography is in hiding the secret message by obscurity, hiding its existence in a non-secret file. In that sense, steganography is different from cryptography, which involves making the content of the secret message unreadable while not preventing non-intended observers from learning about its existence. Steganography can be applied in various objects as images, videos, audios etc. Steganography conceals a message such that it would not draw any attention and therefore would not raise suspicions that a secret communication is taking place[12]. For this reason, steganography is often regarded as a stealthy method for transmitting sensitive data into total secrecy across public channels in such a way that no one, apart for the communicating parties namely the original sender and the intended receiver, can know about the existence of the communication. According to [4] cryptography is not sufficient for secure communication. Even though both methods provide security, a study is made to combine both Cryptography and Steganography methods into one system for better confidentiality and security. Combining these two methods together for the purpose of developing a system, that will improve the confidentiality and security of the message.

2. Related work
Prof. Samir Kumar Bandyopadhyay and Barnali Gupta Banik (2012) proposed a new method of audio steganography using layering approach named multi-level steganography. In multi-level setganography two traditional method of setganography i.e lsb encoding and parity encoding IJCSMS www.ijcsms.com 68

IJCSMS International Journal of Computer Science & Management Studies, Vol. 13, Issue 02, March 2013 ISSN (Online): 2231 5268 www.ijcsms.com were blended in a level based approach to reach the goal. Multi-Level Steganography has advantage of difficult decoding and sending two secret message through a single cover object.S.S. Divya, M. Ram Mohan Reddy (2012) proposed two novel approaches of substitution technique of audio steganography that improves the capacity of cover audio for embedding additional data. Using these methods, message bits are embedded into multiple and variable LSBs. These methods utilize upto 7 LSBs for embedding data.Results show that both these methods improve capacity of data hiding of cover audio by 35% to 70% as compared to the standerd LSB algorithm with 4 LSBs used for data embedding and using RSA as encryption and decryption techniques for performing cryptography. R SRIDEVI, DR. A DAMODARAM, DR. SVL.NARASIMHAM( 2009 ) proposed Enhanced Audio Steganography (EAS) system which is based on audio Steganography and cryptography that ensures secure data transfer between the source and destination. EAS uses most powerful encryption algorithm in the first level of security, which is very complex to break. In the second level it uses a more powerful modified LSB (Least Significant Bit) Algorithm to encode the message into audio. It performs bit level manipulation to encode the message. This proposed system is a good and efficient method for hiding the data from hackers and sent to the destination in a safe manner. In this system the size of the file is not changed even after encoding and also suitable for any type of audio file format. Abikoye Oluwakemi C. Adewole Kayode S. Oladipupo Ayotunde J. (2012) proposed a data hiding system based on audio steganography and cryptography which is proposed to secure data transfer between the source and destination. Audio medium is used for the steganography and a LSB (Least Significant Bit) algorithm is employed to encode the message inside the audio file. Padmashree G, Venugopala P S (2012) proposes that steganography works by replacing bits of useless or unused data in regular computer files (such as graphics, sound, text, HTML, or even floppy disks ) with bits of different, invisible information. This hidden information can be plain text, cipher text, or even images. Audio steganography is a young branch of this discipline. An encoding mechanism is used for embedding the message into the audio file. He used the 4th Bit LSB method to do it. The quality of the audio file after encoding remains unaffected. A public key cryptographic algorithm, RSA was also used to ensure greater security.

3. Steganography
Steganography is derived from the Greek word stegnos (meaning covered/secret) and graphein (meaning to write/draw). It is the study of means of concealing the information in order to prevent hackers from detecting the presence of the secret information.. Steganography is the form of convert communication in which a secret message is camouflaged with a carrier data. Steganography masks the very presence of communication, making the true message not discernable to the observer [8]. The main goal or steganography is to communicate securely in a completely undetectable manner and to avoid drawing suspicion to the transmission of a hidden data. The characteristics of these methods are to change in the structure and features of object so as not to be identifiable by human eye. Digital images, videos, sound files, and other computer files that contain perceptually irrelevant or redundant information can be used as covers or carriers to hide secret messages. After embedding a secret message into the cover-image, a so-called stegoimage is obtained. The basic model of steganography consists of Carrier, Message, Embedding algorithm and Stego key. The model for steganography is shown in Figure 1. Carrier is also known as a coverobject, which embeds the message and serves to hide its presences [6]

Fig.1 A model of Steganography Capacity, security and robustness are three main aspects of steganography from which its usefulness and effect can be measured. Capacity refers to the amount of information that can be hidden in the cover medium. Security relates to an eavesdroppers IJCSMS www.ijcsms.com 69

IJCSMS International Journal of Computer Science & Management Studies, Vol. 13, Issue 02, March 2013 ISSN (Online): 2231 5268 www.ijcsms.com inability to detect hidden information and robustness is the amount of modification the stego medium can withstand before an adversary can destroy the hidden information.[6]. To embed data secretly onto digital audio file there are few techniques introduced earlier. The lists of methods are: LSB Coding Phase Coding Parity Coding Spread Spectrum To extract a secret message from an LSB encoded sound file, the receiver needs access to the sequence of sample indices used in the embedding process. Normally, the length of the secret message to be encoded is smaller than the total number of samples in a sound file. One must decide then on how to choose the subset of samples that will contain the secret message and communicate that decision to the receiver[5]. One trivial technique is to start at the beginning of the sound file and perform LSB coding until the message has been completely embedded, leaving the remaining samples unchanged. This creates a security problem, however in that the first part of the sound file will have different statistical properties than the second part of the sound file that was not modified. One solution to this problem is to pad the secret message with random bits so that the length of the message is equal to the total number of samples. 3.2 Phase coding In phase encoding scheme the phase of carrier file is replaced with reference phase which represents hidden data. The basic idea is to split the original audio stream or cover file(C) into blocks and embed the whole message data sequence into the phase spectrum of the first block. One drawback of the phase coding method is a considerably low payload because only the first block is used for secret message (M) embedding. In addition, the M is not distributed over C that means it is localized data and thus can be removed easily by the cropping attack. [2]

3.1 LSB coding

Least significant bit (LSB) coding is the simplest way to embed information in a digital audio file. In this technique, LSB of binary equivalent of each sample of digitized audio file is replaced with a binary equivalent secret message [2]. By substituting the least significant bit of each sampling point with a binary message, LSB coding allows for a large amount of data to be encoded. In LSB coding, the ideal data transmission rate is 1 kbps per kHz. Figure 2 illustrates how the message 'HEY' is encoded in a 16-bit CD quality sample using the LSB method.

3.3 Parity coding

Instead of breaking a signal down into individual samples, the parity coding method breaks a signal down into separate regions of samples and encodes each bit from the secret message in a sample region's parity bit. If the parity bit of a selected region does not match the secret bit to be encoded, the process flips the LSB of one of the samples in the region [1].

3.4 Spread Spectrum

In spread spectrum method secret information is spread over the audio signal's frequency spectrum as much as possible. Basically this method calculates the frequency masking threshold using psycho acoustic model, data signal is spread by a MIJCSMS www.ijcsms.com 70

Fig. 2 Message 'HEY' is encoded in a 16-bit CD quality sample using the LSB method

IJCSMS International Journal of Computer Science & Management Studies, Vol. 13, Issue 02, March 2013 ISSN (Online): 2231 5268 www.ijcsms.com sequence code, and the spread signal is embedded in audio below the frequency masking threshold. Msequence codes have good autocorrelation properties where the autocorrelation function has peaks equal to 1 at 0, N, 2N (approximately 1/N elsewhere). Because of these periodic peaks, the M-sequence code is self-clocking, so the receiver can easily synchronize the data frame and retrieve the embedded data by de-spreading with the same Msequence code [9].

4.1 Secret key cryptography

This is also known as symmetric key cryptography. With this type of cryptography, both the sender and the receiver know the same secret code, called the key. Messages are encrypted by the sender using the key and decrypted by the receiver using the same key. This method works well if you are communicating with only a limited number of people, but it becomes impractical to exchange secret keys with large numbers of people. In addition, there is also the problem of how you communicate the secret key securely. It includes DES, AES, 3DES, IDEA, Blowfish algorithms.

4. Cryptography
Cryptography is the study of methods of sending messages in disguised form so that only the intended recipients can remove the disguise and read the message. It is the practical art of converting messages or data into a different form, such that no-one can read them without having access to the 'key'. The message may be converted using a code or a 'cipher' or 'cipher' .Cryptology is the science underlying cryptography [6]. It is a means of converting information from its normal comprehensible form into an incomprehensible format, rendering it unreadable without the secret knowledge. The process of converting information (plain text) by transforming it into unreadable format (cipher text) is known as encryption. Encryption techniques can be sometimes broken by cryptanalysis, also called as code breaking, although modern cryptographic techniques are virtually unbreakable[8]. Cryptography encrypts the actual message that is being sent. This mechanism employs mathematical schemes and algorithms to scramble data into unreadable text. It can only be decoded or decrypted by the party that possesses the associated key. There are two main types of cryptography: Secret key cryptography Public key cryptography

4.1.1 DES
It uses block cipher. In this same algorithm and key is used for encryption and decryption. It encrypts the data in block size of 64 bits each 8 bits (one octet) of which are used for parity checks (to verify the key's integrity). Each of the key's parity bits (1 every 8 bits) is used to check one of the key's octets by odd parity, that is, each of the parity bits is adjusted to have an odd number of '1's in the octet it belongs to. The key therefore has a "useful" length of 56 bits, which means that only 56 bits are actually used in the algorithm. The algorithm involves carrying out combinations, substitutions and permutations between the text to be encrypted and the key, while making sure the operations can be performed in both directions (for decryption). The combination of substitutions and permutations is called a product cipher [10]. This Substitution and Permutation is done in 16 rounds. In each round key and data bits are shifted, permuted, XORed and sent through, 8 sbox. In the first round 64 bit plaintext is handed to initial permutation(IP).Then IP generates two half left plaintext(LPT)and right plaintext(RPT).Each LPT and RPT goes through 16 rounds. At the last LPT and RPT are rejoined. Decryption is same process perform rounds in reverse order.

In cryptographic systems, the term key refers numerical value used by an algorithm to information, making that information secure visible only to individuals who have corresponding key to recover the information.

to a alter and the

4.2 Public key cryptography

It also called asymmetric encryption uses a pair of keys for encryption and decryption. With public key cryptography, keys work in pairs of matched public and private keys. The public key can be freely IJCSMS www.ijcsms.com 71

IJCSMS International Journal of Computer Science & Management Studies, Vol. 13, Issue 02, March 2013 ISSN (Online): 2231 5268 www.ijcsms.com distributed without compromising the private key, which must be kept secret by its owner. Because these keys work only as a pair, encryption initiated with the public key can be decrypted only with the corresponding private key. It includes RSA, Digital Signature and Message Digest algorithms. 4.2.1 RSA This is public key encryption algorithm developed by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Len Adlemen in 1977. It is most popular and asymmetric key cryptographic algorithm. It may used to provide both secrecy and digital signature. It uses the prime no. to generate the public and private key based on mathematical fact and multiplying large numbers together. It uses the block size data in which plaintext and cipher text are integers between 0and n1 for some n values. Size of n is considered 1024bits or 309 decimal digits. In this two different keys are used for encryption and decryption purpose. As sender knows encryption key and receiver knows decryption key [4]. The arithmetic calculations of the algorithm:

5.

Conclusions

Steganography and Cryptography with their techniques are studied for information security. Steganography is the method of data hiding whereas cryptography is an encryption technique. In comparison to other steganographic techniques LSB modification algorithm is simple and effective. RSA and DES techniques of cryptography are studied in detail and it studies shows that DES is better than RSA. Both steganography and cryptography are information security techniques and when they are combined together security can be enhanced many times. As a future work an algorithm combining both techniques can be proposed for data security.

References
[1] Prof. Samir Kumar Bandyopadhyay, Barnali Gupta Banik, Multi-Level Steganographic Algorithm for Audio Steganography using LSB Modification and Parity Encoding Technique. International Journal of Emerging Trends & Technology in Computer Science (IJETTCS) 2012. [2] S.S. Divya, M. Ram Mohan Reddy, Hiding Text in Audio Using Multiple Lsb Steganography and Provide Security Using Cryptography. International Journal Of Scientific & Technology Research Volume 1, Issue 6, July 2012 [3] R Sridevi, Dr. A Damodaram, Dr. Svl.Narasimham, Efficient Method of Audio Steganography by Modified Lsb Algorithm And Strong Encryption Key With Enhanced Security. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology. [4] Abikoye Oluwakemi C. Adewole Kayode S. Oladipupo Ayotunde J. Efficient Data Hiding System using Cryptography and Steganography. International Journal of Applied Information Systems (IJAIS) 2012 [5] Padmashree G, Venugopala P S, Audio Stegnography and Cryptography: Using LSB algorithm at 4th and 5th LSB layers. International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT) 2012 [6] A. Joseph Raphael Dr. V. Sundaram, Cryptography and Steganography A Survey. A. Joseph Raphael, Dr.V Sundaram, Int. J. Comp. Tech. Appl., Vol 2 (3), 626-630 IJCSMS www.ijcsms.com 72

1. Choose one number and divide it to two

prime numbers.

2. Select p and q. 3. Calculate n=p*q. 4. Calculate Z=(p-1)(q-1) 5. Select integer e which is relatively prime
to 2. (Z=(n))

6. Calculate e*d=1 Mod((n)) and determine

d.

7. Public key = {e, n} and private key={d, n} 8. For Data Encryption:

c=M^e Mod n.

9. For Data Decryption :

M=c^d Mod n.

IJCSMS International Journal of Computer Science & Management Studies, Vol. 13, Issue 02, March 2013 ISSN (Online): 2231 5268 www.ijcsms.com [7] B. Santhi, G. Radhika and S. Ruthra Reka, Information Security using Audio Steganography -A Survey. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology 4(14): 2255-2258, 2012. [8] Manoj Kumar Sharma, Dr. Amit Upadhyaya, Shalini Agarwal, Adaptive Steganographic Algorithm using Cryptographic Encryption RSA Algorithms. Journal of Engineering, Computers & Applied Sciences (JEC&AS) ISSN No: 23195606 Volume 2, No.1, January 2013 [9] Md. Shafakhatullah Khan, V.Vijaya Bhasker, V. Shiva Nagaraju, V. Shiva Nagaraju, An Optimized Method for Concealing Data using Audio Steganography. International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 8887) Volume 33 No.4, November 2011 [10] Internet source: http://en.kioskea.net/contents/134-introductionto-encryption-with-des [11] Youssef Bassil, A Two Intermediates Audio Steganography Technique. Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences VOL. 3, NO.11 Nov, 2012

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