[Paper Review] Data Hiding in Video using Triangularization LSB Technique

Subhashri Acharya, Pramita Srimany+2 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jul 19, 2015

Advanced Steganography and Watermarking Techniques1 references3 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel video steganography scheme that combines triangularization of video frames with Least Significant Bit (LSB) embedding to hide data securely and efficiently. By transforming pixel blocks into triangular matrices and modifying LSBs in a structured way, the method enhances payload capacity and imperceptibility while maintaining robustness against common attacks.

ABSTRACT

The importance of data hiding in the field of Information Technology is a widely accepted. The challenge is to be able to pass information in a manner that the very existence of the message is unknown in order to repel attention of the potential attacker. Steganography is a technique that has been widely used to achieve this objective. However Steganography is often found to be lacking when it comes to hiding bulk data. Attempting to hide data in a video overcomes this problem because of the large sized cover object (video) as compared to an image in the case of steganography. This paper attempts to propose a scheme using which data can be hidden in a video. We focus on the Triangularization method and make use of the Least Significant Bit (LSB) technique in hiding messages in a video.

Motivation & Objective

• To address the limitation of steganography in hiding large volumes of data by leveraging the high capacity of video as a cover medium.
• To improve data hiding security by concealing the existence of hidden messages within video frames.
• To enhance payload capacity and visual transparency using a hybrid approach of triangularization and LSB embedding.
• To develop a method resilient to common steganalysis attacks while preserving video quality.

Proposed method

• The method applies triangularization to 3x3 pixel blocks extracted from video frames, converting them into lower triangular matrices to reduce redundancy and optimize embedding space.
• It uses the Least Significant Bit (LSB) technique to embed secret data into the least significant bits of the matrix elements, minimizing visual distortion.
• The embedding process is guided by a secret key to ensure only authorized users can extract the data, enhancing security.
• The triangular matrix structure allows for efficient data mapping and reduces the number of pixels modified, improving imperceptibility.
• The scheme supports both embedding and extraction phases, with a reversible mechanism to reconstruct original frames after data retrieval.
• The approach is evaluated on standard video sequences to assess payload capacity, visual quality (PSNR), and resistance to steganalysis.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How can video be effectively used as a high-capacity cover medium for steganographic data hiding?
• RQ2 To what extent does triangularization of pixel blocks improve the efficiency and capacity of LSB-based data embedding in video?
• RQ3 What is the impact of the proposed method on visual quality and imperceptibility of the stego-video?
• RQ4 How secure is the scheme against common steganalysis techniques?
• RQ5 Can the method achieve a balance between high payload capacity and low distortion in video steganography?

Key findings

• The proposed method achieves a high payload capacity due to the efficient use of pixel blocks through triangularization, enabling more data to be embedded per frame.
• The visual quality of stego-videos remains high, with PSNR values indicating minimal perceptual distortion, confirming the method's imperceptibility.
• The use of triangularization reduces redundancy and optimizes embedding space, leading to improved embedding efficiency compared to conventional LSB in images.
• The scheme demonstrates resilience to basic steganalysis attacks due to the structured and randomized embedding process guided by a secret key.
• The method supports reversible data hiding, allowing perfect reconstruction of original video frames after data extraction.
• The evaluation on standard video sequences confirms the feasibility and effectiveness of the approach in real-world video steganography applications.