Published Paper Details:

The need for secure and covert communication has become paramount in the digital age. This project presents a method for hiding messages within digital images using a combination of steganography and encryption techniques. The process begins with the user inputting a secret message, which is then encrypted using a Caesar cipher with a user-defined shift key. This encrypted message is further secured by embedding it into an image, leveraging the pixel values as carriers. The embedding process uses a user-provided security key to XOR the ASCII values of the encrypted message with the key, ensuring an additional layer of security. The resultant stegano image retains its visual integrity while concealing the secret message within its pixel data. The extraction process reverses these steps, requiring the correct security key to retrieve and decrypt the hidden message. This method balances simplicity and security, making it accessible while providing robust protection against unauthorized access. Experimental results demonstrate the technique's effectiveness in preserving the visual quality of the carrier image and securely embedding and retrieving hidden messages. Future work will explore enhancing the algorithm's robustness against various image processing attacks and optimizing the embedding capacity without compromising image quality. These qualities make it suitable for various applications, from personal privacy to secure communication in sensitive fields.