Information security through image steganography

Abstract

Information security is an arduous task these days especially due to advancement in technology. Sending or receiving confidential information in an undetected form has been a major challenge. Steganography is the art or process of concealing information inside a text, audio or image file. The process of embedding information inside an image is known as Image steganography. The objective unlike cryptography is not to make the information difficult to understand but to hide it in plain sight. The concealed information is harder to detect and is only detected only by the receiver who is aware of its existence. Image Steganography is used to secure private files and documents, hide passwords and encryption keys as well as to transport highly confidential documents between international governments and organizations without revealing the existence of the hidden message. This also makes it essential in military and banking field for secure communication of information. This provides better security to the information being shared. This paper discusses history, techniques, applications, benefits and shortcomings of Image steganography. Further a discussion on the challenges and the future direction and trends of image steganography are also presented.