Improved Cohort Intelligence - A high capacity, swift and secure approach on JPEG image steganography

Abstract In the recent high level of information security was attained by combining the concepts of cryptography, steganography along with the nature inspired optimization algorithms. However, in today's world computational speed plays a vital role for the success of any scientific method. The optimization algorithms, such as cohort Intelligence with Cognitive Computing (CICC) and Modified-Multi Random Start Local Search (M-MRSLS) were already implemented and applied for JPEG image steganography for 8 × 8 as well as 16 × 16 quantization table, respectively. Although results were satisfactory in terms of image quality and capacity, the computational time was high for most of the test images. To overcome this challenge, the paper proposes modified version of cohort intelligence (CI) algorithm referred to as Improved Cohort Intelligence (CI). The Improved CI algorithm was considered as a cryptography technique and implemented to generate optimized cipher text. Improved CI algorithm was further employed for JPEG image steganography to propose a reversible data hiding scheme. Experimentation was done on grey scale image, of size 256 × 256; both for 8 × 8 and 16 × 16 quantization table. Results validation of the proposed work exhibited very encouraging improvements in the computational cost.

[1]  Anand Jayant Kulkarni,et al.  Constrained cohort intelligence using static and dynamic penalty function approach for mechanical components design , 2016, Int. J. Parallel Emergent Distributed Syst..

[2]  Kefa Rabah,et al.  Steganography-The Art of Hiding Data , 2004 .

[3]  Donald E. Grierson,et al.  Comparison among five evolutionary-based optimization algorithms , 2005, Adv. Eng. Informatics.

[4]  Nasir D. Memon,et al.  Image Steganography and Steganalysis: Concepts and Practice , 2003, IWDW.

[5]  Ying He,et al.  Steganography with pixel-value differencing and modulus function based on PSO , 2018, J. Inf. Secur. Appl..

[6]  Ainuddin Wahid Abdul Wahab,et al.  Image steganography in spatial domain: A survey , 2018, Signal Process. Image Commun..

[7]  S. Wu,et al.  Steady-state genetic algorithms for discrete optimization of trusses , 1995 .

[8]  Anand Jayant Kulkarni,et al.  Solving 0–1 Knapsack Problem using Cohort Intelligence Algorithm , 2016, Int. J. Mach. Learn. Cybern..

[9]  Anand Jayant Kulkarni,et al.  Variations of cohort intelligence , 2018, Soft Comput..

[10]  Yilin Pang,et al.  A high capacity steganographic method based on quantization table modification , 2011, Wuhan University Journal of Natural Sciences.

[11]  Raveendran Paramesran,et al.  A hybrid approach for data clustering based on modified cohort intelligence and K-means , 2014, Expert Syst. Appl..

[12]  Anand Jayant Kulkarni,et al.  Cohort Intelligence: A Self Supervised Learning Behavior , 2013, 2013 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics.

[13]  Hedieh Sajedi,et al.  Image steganalysis using Artificial Bee Colony algorithm , 2017, J. Exp. Theor. Artif. Intell..

[14]  Anand J. Kulkarni,et al.  Image Steganography Capacity Improvement Using Cohort Intelligence and Modified Multi-Random Start Local Search Methods , 2018 .

[15]  Yijun Yan,et al.  Fusion of block and keypoints based approaches for effective copy-move image forgery detection , 2016, Multidimens. Syst. Signal Process..

[16]  Anand Jayant Kulkarni,et al.  JPEG based steganography methods using Cohort Intelligence with Cognitive Computing and modified Multi Random Start Local Search optimization algorithms , 2018, Inf. Sci..

[17]  D. Jude Hemanth,et al.  Application of Genetic Algorithm and Particle Swarm Optimization techniques for improved image steganography systems , 2016 .

[18]  Jamshid Shanbehzadeh,et al.  High Capacity Image Steganography Based on Genetic Algorithm and Wavelet Transform , 2012 .

[19]  Wasan Shaker Awad,et al.  Information Hiding Using Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm , 2011, Int. J. Technol. Diffusion.

[20]  Kevin Curran,et al.  Digital image steganography: Survey and analysis of current methods , 2010, Signal Process..

[21]  Hideki Noda,et al.  A Model of Digital Contents Access Control System Using Steganographic Information Hiding Scheme , 2006, EJC.

[22]  Xin Liao,et al.  Separable data hiding in encrypted image based on compressive sensing and discrete fourier transform , 2017, Multimedia Tools and Applications.

[23]  Chin-Chen Chang,et al.  Steganography using JPEG-compressed images , 2004, The Fourth International Conference onComputer and Information Technology, 2004. CIT '04..

[24]  Robert Jarusek,et al.  Robust steganographic method based on unconventional approach of neural networks , 2018, Appl. Soft Comput..

[25]  S. Wu,et al.  GENETIC ALGORITHMS FOR NONLINEAR MIXED DISCRETE-INTEGER OPTIMIZATION PROBLEMS VIA META-GENETIC PARAMETER OPTIMIZATION , 1995 .

[26]  Shen Wang,et al.  A Secure Steganography Method based on Genetic Algorithm , 2010, J. Inf. Hiding Multim. Signal Process..

[27]  Medha Kulkarni,et al.  An information hiding system using 16*16 quantization table , 2015, 2014 International Conference on Advances in Communication and Computing Technologies (ICACACT 2014).

[28]  Feng Liu,et al.  A heuristic particle swarm optimization method for truss structures with discrete variables , 2009 .

[29]  Huaiqing Wang,et al.  Cyber warfare: steganography vs. steganalysis , 2004, CACM.

[30]  Umesh Ghanekar,et al.  Image steganography based on Canny edge detection, dilation operator and hybrid coding , 2018, J. Inf. Secur. Appl..

[31]  Shumeet Baluja,et al.  Hiding Images in Plain Sight: Deep Steganography , 2017, NIPS.

[32]  Anand Jayant Kulkarni,et al.  Design and economic optimization of shell-and-tube heat exchanger using cohort intelligence algorithm , 2018, Neural Computing and Applications.

[33]  Markus G. Kuhn,et al.  Information hiding-a survey , 1999, Proc. IEEE.

[34]  Mohamed A. El-Dosuky,et al.  Jpeg Image Compression Using Discrete Cosine Transform - A Survey , 2014, ArXiv.

[35]  Riccardo Poli,et al.  Particle swarm optimization , 1995, Swarm Intelligence.

[36]  Thomas Stützle,et al.  Ant colony optimization: artificial ants as a computational intelligence technique , 2006 .

[37]  D. Pham,et al.  Honey Bees Inspired Optimization Method: The Bees Algorithm , 2013, Insects.

[38]  Zheng Qin,et al.  Data embedding in digital images using critical functions , 2017, Signal Process. Image Commun..

[39]  Anand J. Kulkarni,et al.  Application of the cohort-intelligence optimization method to three selected combinatorial optimization problems , 2016, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[40]  Ajith Abraham,et al.  Cohort Intelligence: A Socio-inspired Optimization Method , 2016, Intelligent Systems Reference Library.

[41]  Robert M. Hierons,et al.  JPEG Steganography: A Performance Evaluation of Quantization Tables , 2009, 2009 International Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications.

[42]  Kang Tai,et al.  Probability collectives for solving discrete and mixed variable problems , 2016, Int. J. Comput. Aided Eng. Technol..

[43]  John Miano,et al.  Compressed image file formats - JPEG, PNG, GIF, XBM, BMP , 1999 .

[44]  Lee-Ming Cheng,et al.  Hiding data in images by simple LSB substitution , 2004, Pattern Recognit..

[45]  Jianjun Wang,et al.  A steganographic method based upon JPEG and particle swarm optimization algorithm , 2007, Inf. Sci..

[46]  Ja-Chen Lin,et al.  Image hiding by optimal LSB substitution and genetic algorithm , 2001, Pattern Recognit..

[47]  J.-S. Coron.  What Is Cryptography? , 2006, IEEE Secur. Priv..

[48]  Weiming Zhang,et al.  Improving Embedding Efficiency of Covering Codes for Applications in Steganography , 2007, IEEE Communications Letters.

[49]  P. Yip,et al.  Discrete Cosine Transform: Algorithms, Advantages, Applications , 1990 .

[50]  Anand Jayant Kulkarni,et al.  Cohort intelligence algorithm for discrete and mixed variable engineering problems , 2018, Int. J. Parallel Emergent Distributed Syst..

[51]  Joan L. Mitchell,et al.  JPEG: Still Image Data Compression Standard , 1992 .

[52]  Yazan Aljeroudi,et al.  Extreme learning machine based optimal embedding location finder for image steganography , 2017, PloS one.

[53]  Chin-Chen Chang,et al.  A steganographic method based upon JPEG and quantization table modification , 2002, Inf. Sci..

[54]  Della Baby,et al.  A Novel DWT Based Image Securing Method Using Steganography , 2015 .

[55]  Ajith Abraham,et al.  Significance of steganography on data security , 2004, International Conference on Information Technology: Coding and Computing, 2004. Proceedings. ITCC 2004..

[56]  Rainer Böhme,et al.  Principles of Modern Steganography and Steganalysis , 2010 .

[57]  Wei Liang,et al.  JPEG image steganalysis using joint discrete cosine transform domain features , 2010, J. Electronic Imaging.

[58]  Rina Mishra,et al.  A review on steganography and cryptography , 2015, 2015 International Conference on Advances in Computer Engineering and Applications.

[59]  Nameer N. El-Emam.  New data-hiding algorithm based on adaptive neural networks with modified particle swarm optimization , 2015, Comput. Secur..