Title: An improved reversible data hiding scheme based on pixel permutation

Authors: Jilin Wang; Xiao Sun; Xiaoqing Feng

Addresses: College of Information, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, 310018, China ' College of Information, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, 310018, China ' College of Information, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, 310018, China

Abstract: Low payload capacity is a flaw in pixel exchange-based reversible data hiding schemes. In order to improve it, this paper proposes a triangular pixel pair structure, which requires fewer pixels than a traditional 2 × 2 pixel block. At the same time, the corresponding embedding conditions are also proposed to screen out those pixel pairs that may reduce image visual quality seriously after data embedding. Embeddable pixel pair is binarised by its feature. And, Huffman coding method is used to create free space for secret data while ensuring reversibility. Eventually, data is embedded into a cover image by switching embeddable pixel pair features. The experimental results show that the greyscale histogram of the cover image is never modified by the proposed scheme. Consequently, secret data cannot be detected by the statistical steganalysis based on the greyscale histogram. Both payload capacity and imperceptibility get enhanced obviously, and PSNR is at the same level as the schemes that do not provide robustness of the greyscale histogram.

Keywords: data hiding; reversibility; pixel pair; Huffman coding; pixel permutation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJITM.2019.097903

International Journal of Information Technology and Management, 2019 Vol.18 No.1, pp.110 - 125

Accepted: 08 Jul 2018
Published online: 22 Feb 2019 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article