Advanced multilayer security framework: integrating AES and LSB for enhanced data protection
摘要
In an age of ever-advancing technology, sharing information digitally has become common. Image encryption is an important part of modern data security that keeps private, sensitive data safe from being seen or changed. This study presents a novel and efficient framework that integrates cryptography and steganography techniques to capitalize on the benefits of these technologies regarding security and practicality, adeptly addressing the challenges of a dynamic network environment while adhering to stringent information transmission security protocols. The first step in this study was to use symmetric encryption AES-128, Cipher Block Chaining (CBC-IV), and an initialization vector to change plain text into ciphertext. A pseudorandom number and SHA-256 were used to make a secret key, which gave the system a basic level of security. This study employed an advanced LSB, integrating LSB matching and replacement to enable resilient steganography. Then, the ciphertext is put into a certain spot on a 2D image, which keeps the quality of the image and makes it easier to get the data out, which makes the message more secure. The suggested model did well, with a PSNR of 72.31 dB, an SSIM of 1.0, a correlation coefficient of 0.99, a BER of 0.07, a histogram MSE, and an RMSE of 0.009. This study achieved optimal NPCR and UACI scores of approximately 99.65 and 33.64, respectively, in comparison with other prevailing methodologies.