2019 International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Knowledge Economy (ICCIKE)

December 11–12, 2019, Amity University Dubai, UAE

Application of Steganography Technique in Cloud

Computing
Jacob Adeboye Ajala Sanika Singh Saurabh Mukherjee
Sharda University, Greater Noida, India Sharda University, Greater Noida, India Banasthali Vidyapith, Jaipur, India
jajala86@gmail.com sanika.singh@sharda.ac.in mukherjee.saurabh@rediffmail.com

Sudeshna Chakraborty
Sharda University, Greater Noida, India
sudeshna.chakraborty@sharda.ac.in

Abstract—Cloud computing has played a significant role in

data and information management through availing
computer system resources for all users without direct active
management. In return, a considerable population has
embarked on cloud computing to share data and information
and communicate through the platform hence enjoying the
benefit. However, data security is a crucial aspect in cloud
computing as a way of assuring users of their confidentiality
and safety of data and information stored and transferred
through the platform. As a result, the need for data security
techniques has facilitated the evolution of different techniques
necessary for ensuring the safety of data and information
through the platform hence ensuring effective communication
channels. Therefore, Steganography techniques have been
identified as one of the cloud computing techniques necessary
for enhancing cloud data security. In return, this paper
analyzes the application of stenography technique in cloud
computing as an approach to enhance cloud data security
Keywords--Cloud Computing, Data Security, Cryptography,
Steganography, stego-image
I. INTRODUCTION
Data and information security are one among the major
sensitive aspects of cloud computing. In view of need to
protect cloud-based systems, data and cloud infrastructures
from any alteration or unauthorized access supports the
innovation of different approaches to enhance data security for
cloud computing.
Steganography technique such an effective techniques that
improve data security in cloud computing through securing
communication in cloud [1]. As discussed by Reza, H., &
Sonawane, M [2], Steganography involves data hidden within
the data approach, which refers to writing hidden message in a
way that only the sender and receiver understand the content
of message and have authorized access to the hidden
information.
Figure 1 explains the architecture of Steganography. Cloud
computing has been integrated into networking and computer
science inducing a great benefit for users through providing
free storage-saving users from thecost of buying hardware
resources to store data instead.
978-1-7281-3778-0/19/$31.00 ©2019 IEEE
As a new approach, cloud computing has won the interest of
a huge user population for computer systems-based services.
In return, data and information uploaded into the platform
need to be safe and secure from unauthorized access and any
destructive malware. As defined, Steganography has facilitated
actual use of a cloud computing platform as a service through
enhancing data security.
Numerous publications have been put forward regarding the
effectiveness of stenography in cloud data security.
Steganography is closely related to data encryption since it
involves hiding data inside another data maintaining its safety
throughout the cloud computing platform. Cloud computing
had developed data security issues that are sensitive to the
users. Cloud computing provides a rich source of computer
system resources and facilitates communication as well. As a
consequence, a high level of data security is required in order
to protect the user’s information. Different articles support the
suitability of stenography techniques for cloud data security.
Moreover, the technique has been preferred for improvement
of data security in system based cloud computing.
Furthermore, cryptography is identified among other types of
stenography with different cases of successful data protection
being recorded. Therefore, Steganography is an effective
technique in cloud computing towards enhancing cloud data
security.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
Garima Saini and Naveen Sharma[3] in their paper
applied techniques like DSA, DES, and Steganography to
ensure security of data in cloud. DSA is provides data
authentication and verification which assures of the data
authenticity, and integrity. DES is used for encryption of data
and provides a symmetric algorithm. Steganography was
applied to embed information with the audio file to provide
security. However, due to the step by step application of each
of the three processes, the time complexity is very high. It first
applies the DSA, followed by the AES before finally applying
Steganography. Adding to the complexity is the fact that the
same process is followed for decryption but in reverse order.
Z. Al-Khanjari and A. Alani[4] in their paper proposed an
architectural model to protect data in cloud. The authors
proposed steganography as a technique to secure the data.
They explained how data is hidden though pipeline channel

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 2019 International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Knowledge Economy (ICCIKE)
December 11–12, 2019, Amity University Dubai, UAE

thus providing secured access to data. Authors
claim Steganography can provide security,
integrity and confidentiality to the data being
transmitted over network. This steganog raphy
model uses textual properties in hiding data,
textual properties such as font type, font size, font
styles, and color hue, amongst many others to
present data. The architecture proposed supports
cloud computing by restricting access of
unintended and unauthorized users. The mention
model has 3 layers physical, data, security layers.
The data is hidden in security layer through
pipeline.
Pant, Prakash, &Asthana[5] proposed dual use of
steganography and cryptography for securing data. They sug
gest RSA as the most secure algorithm in data security. Based on this
opinion, the suggested incorporating other algorithms along with the RSA
algorithm. They encrypted images which seems identical to the naked eye
in steganography process. However, once image binary codes analysis is
done the dif- ference and very clear.
Lovejeet Kamboj et al.[6] and Shakeeba S et al.[7] in
their respective papers proposed multi layered security of
cloud data. While Lovejeet Kamboj et al.[6] suggested dual
use of steganography and cryptography approaches to give
Layer based security in cloud computing, Shakeeba S et al.
suggested multilevel cryptographic algorithms. After
analyzing the pro- ductivity correlation parameters, the
outcome shows that multi- layers system saves enough space
and justifiable input- output operation.

Fig. 1.The architecture of Steganography.

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 2019 International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Knowledge Economy (ICCIKE)
December 11–12, 2019, Amity University Dubai, UAE

III. D ESCRIPTION OF T HESYSTEM
The cloud server systems randomly produce access keys
either primary or secondary keys after a record is made by
the user concerning specific information. In the process, the
data proprietor swiftly encodes the record concealing the
data into a picture that is later split and stored in the cloud. In
order to avoid access to encrypted data from unauthorized
users, the cloud server creates a shared key under the utility
of both primary and secondary keys for the data owner and
its user respectively. The server maintains data safety during
the data sharing process as the data proprietors ends the
Encryption: Media file is
encrypted as binary codes
that vary depending on
nature of file.
the servers and the authorized users maintains confidentiality
and data integrity. Despite the fact that cloud computing is
useful in computer-based systems, maintaining the integrity of
data through the systems is the most substantial aspect of cloud
computing. In order to effectively accommodate multiple users
through the cloud computing program, the platform avails cloud
resources to the users through three main services. First,
infrastructure as a service is one of the techniques that entail the
use of hardware resources to facilitate the sharing of data and
information through the cloud computing platform. It involves
resources such as memory, hard-disk, and networking resources.
Data flowing through these resources require ample security in
order to be maintained in the respective resources [9]. Platform
as a service is the next platform necessary for providing
operating system facilities and their updates. Also software as a
service is part of the system that maintains flexibility and ease of
use for the users.

When a user needs to use cloud computing resources, the

aspect that is put into consideration is the security of their data,
service of data, privacy, and management of their data. In return,
the systems need to effectively manage the privacy and security
Data chunking: Encrypted of the information uploaded by the user. As demonstrated by
file chunked into parts Al-Khanjari, Z., & Alani, A. in their paper [10], Steganography
effectively performs this role by securing data and information
during data sharing and usage in the cloud environment. The
model is made up of three main components as shown in Figure
1. These are the users who interact with the system, the original
image which is issued by the sender to ember data the stego-
Applying steganography: image that contains the embedded key and data and the
process is done on the steganography application that received as an input stego-image
chunked files that have and user key. The overall process of applying steganography is
been encrypted. They are shown in Figure 2.In most cases, users prefer cloud computing
sent to the receiver in a for free storage of data including images, video files, and video
hidden form files. In return, the system required a huge amount of storage
that is presented through the cloud computing platform. The
system allows integration of stenography into cryptography
with an ability of providing extra security for the data.

File recombination:
encrypted chinked files are
recombined so the receiver
can access the original file.

Decryption: Recombined
file decrypted to get
original file from sender.

mutual
Fig. 2. Process of applying steganography
key to the user through the e-mail maintaining
security as well [8]. The mutual key is covered
into a picture to maintain the security of the key.
The system encapsulates different processes all
focused on maintaining data security for the data
in the cloud systems.

The exchange of data and information between

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 2019 International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Knowledge Economy (ICCIKE)
December 11–12, 2019, Amity University Dubai, UAE

As stated by K. Murakami [11], the technique
incorporates the use of watermarks to hide
copyright information of the underlying data or
information hence preventing fraudulent actions
against the protected data. In the computer-based
systems, data can easily be stolen and manipulated by unau-
theorized users. As a result, this issue has raised the need to
enhance data security especially for media files uploaded into
the cloud computing platforms.

Parameters Cryptography Steganograph Cryptograph

y y+
Steganograph
hy
Purpose Hide meaning Hide existence Hide meaning
of data of data and existence
of data
Message Type
Message Can be altered Cannot be Cannot be
structure altered altered
Principles Confidentiality, Confidentiality Confidentiality,
Supported Authentication, and Authentication,
Data Integrity Authentication Data Integrity
and Non- and Non-
Repudiation Repudiation

Implementation Text Audio, video, Audio, video,

image and text image and
text
Output Type Cipher file Stego fine Stego file
Table 1. Comparison of the Steganography and Cryptography

I. RESULTS

The implementation of the three techniques was

done using python and the graphs below provide
analysis of the implementation of the three
techniques. In cloud computing, Security of data is
one of the factors along with efficiency.

security
96.00%
94.00%
92.00%
90.00%
88.00%
86.00%
84.00%
combined
steganography
cryptography

tecniques

Fig. 3. Comparison on the security accuracy of various techniques

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 2019 International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Knowledge Economy (ICCIKE)
December 11–12, 2019, Amity University Dubai, UAE
time/ ms
4 security to encrypted data. Moreover, Steganography
time / ms
3 effectively fits for sharing confidential information
2 through cloud maintaining a high level of privacy. In
1
0 addition, the Steganography technique gets over the
cryptography steganography combined
tecniques
Techniques
Fig. 4. Comparison on the time efficiency of various techniques
The intensity value of a pixel in an image to be embedded with
information is represented as N*M*3 matrix in memory. To
embed a message into the image using steganography we alter
values of some pixels. These values are chosen by an algorithm.
The figure below show images before and after embedding a
message using steganography with cryptography.
Fig. 5. Image before Embedding using Steganography and Cryptography
Fig. 6. Embedded Image using steganography and Cryptography
II. CONCLUSION
The computer-based systems and cloud servers coordinate
with the data proprietor to effectively maintain data integrity
and win the confidentiality of users. The system employs
different approaches to ensure full authorization of users
[12].The server sends multiple verification to the owner of the
information producing keys that would permit access to the
respective data. When data is loaded into the cloud systems, it
is concealed with a picture that requires a user to get the
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key in order to access the encrypted information. As
demonstrated by Izevbizua, P. O [13], concealment is
achieved through Steganography that adds more
security issues that are backlogging the cloud infras-
tructure and fastens the security of information
throughout the platform.
In conclusion, stenography maintains data privacy
and safety protecting it from fraudulent actions. In
some cases, data can be stolen through file transfer.
However, this technique maintains the safety of the
data during transfer by encrypting the data and
assigning a key through data proprietor in the cloud
server. As a result,the data remains secure during the
transfer process through mails. Apart from data
security and privacy, the stenography technique
supports secret communications hence improving its
preference for the cloud computing systems. The key
embedded in the image attached to the data during
Steganography provides an additional security layer
and confidentiality of the encrypted data [14].
Therefore, Steganography coupled with cryptography
remains the best technique for cloud data security.
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 2019 International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Knowledge Economy (ICCIKE)
December 11–12, 2019, Amity University Dubai, UAE

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