A novel scheme to hide identity information in mobile captured images

Abstract

A new research area concerning the application of steganography for hiding source identity information in mobile camera captured images is emerging. The work reported so far is focused on using MMS [Multimedia Messaging Service] and SMS [Short Message Service] as carrier media for covert communication and data security. The techniques employed for data hiding are lacking in a suitable combination of cryptography and steganography. The present paper proposes a novel scheme to hide source identity information (IMEI [International Mobile Equipment Identity] and IMSI [International Mobile Subscriber Identity] numbers) in mobile camera captured images. To achieve this, an application is developed that clicks images through mobile camera and hides IMEI and IMSI numbers in raw images before compressing them in PNG [Portable Network Graphics] format. The application encrypts the IMEI and IMSI numbers before hiding them. It uses a custom made key based algorithm for hiding these numbers randomly inside an image which ensures high security of hidden data. Runtime performance analysis of the above technique reveals that the computational lag due to encryption & steganography is miniscule. The technique is found feasible to run on actual mobile devices and can help identify the source of an anonymous mobile captured image. © 2012 Springer-Verlag GmbH.