Secure Image Sharing: Innovating Encryption and Concealment Methods

Abstract

Data security techniques, notably concealment of information in encrypted images, play a pivotal role in safeguarding digital assets. Nonetheless, many methods in this domain face challenges in effectively balancing security and embedding capacity. To tackle this issue, we propose a novel approach integrating hybrid coding and Chinese remainder theorem-based secret sharing (CRTSS). Our method employs hybrid coding for concealing data within images, ensuring a robust embedding capacity. Initially, an iterative encryption process encrypts blocks while preserving their spatial correlation. CRTSS is then utilized to distribute these encrypted blocks across multiple shares, ensuring robust security. Leveraging the high geographical correlation within each share, data embedding is performed using the hybrid coding technique, effectively increasing capacity. The proposed method allows for the restoration of the original image without loss, even if some shares are corrupted or missing, as long as enough uncorrupted shares are available. Experimental results indicate superior embedding capacity compared to state-of-the-art techniques, including those relying on secret sharing. We present four variations of the proposed model, comprising two coupled and two separable cases, leading to a high-capacity concealment approach. The efficacy of our approach is demonstrated through experimental validation.