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DDIM-Driven Coverless Steganography Scheme with Real Key

Mingyu Yu, Haonan Miao, Zhengping Jin, Sujuan Qin

TL;DR

This work tackles secure covert communication by removing the reliance on pseudo-keys in generation-based coverless steganography. It introduces a DDIM-driven framework that employs a real-key mechanism combined with reversible data hiding (RDH) and chaotic encryption, enabling a single pre-negotiated key to support multiple sessions and reduce key-exchange overhead. The approach includes two configurations (without-key and real-key with CDJB-PEHS) and adds an integrity hash to defend against substitution attacks, demonstrating improved key-management efficiency and security. Overall, the method achieves high-quality stego-images with strong resistance to tampering, offering practical applicability for identity protection and confidential data transmission in high-security settings.

Abstract

With the advancement of information hiding techniques, generation-based coverless steganography has emerged as an alternative to traditional methods, leveraging generative models to transform secret information into stego-objects rather than embedding it within the redundancy of the cover. However, existing generation-based approaches require pseudo-keys that must be shared between communication parties, leading to high overhead of frequent key exchanges and security risks due to their tight coupling with the secret information. This paper proposes a DDIM-driven coverless steganography scheme that utilizes a real-key mechanism, improving the key management. By integrating reversible data hiding (RDH) and chaotic encryption into generation model, the proposed method eliminates excessive key exchanges and reduces the correlation between the key and the secret information. Furthermore, it requires only a single key negotiation for multiple communication, which lowers overhead. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme resists substitution attacks, enhancing the security of covert communication.

DDIM-Driven Coverless Steganography Scheme with Real Key

TL;DR

This work tackles secure covert communication by removing the reliance on pseudo-keys in generation-based coverless steganography. It introduces a DDIM-driven framework that employs a real-key mechanism combined with reversible data hiding (RDH) and chaotic encryption, enabling a single pre-negotiated key to support multiple sessions and reduce key-exchange overhead. The approach includes two configurations (without-key and real-key with CDJB-PEHS) and adds an integrity hash to defend against substitution attacks, demonstrating improved key-management efficiency and security. Overall, the method achieves high-quality stego-images with strong resistance to tampering, offering practical applicability for identity protection and confidential data transmission in high-security settings.

Abstract

With the advancement of information hiding techniques, generation-based coverless steganography has emerged as an alternative to traditional methods, leveraging generative models to transform secret information into stego-objects rather than embedding it within the redundancy of the cover. However, existing generation-based approaches require pseudo-keys that must be shared between communication parties, leading to high overhead of frequent key exchanges and security risks due to their tight coupling with the secret information. This paper proposes a DDIM-driven coverless steganography scheme that utilizes a real-key mechanism, improving the key management. By integrating reversible data hiding (RDH) and chaotic encryption into generation model, the proposed method eliminates excessive key exchanges and reduces the correlation between the key and the secret information. Furthermore, it requires only a single key negotiation for multiple communication, which lowers overhead. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme resists substitution attacks, enhancing the security of covert communication.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 20 sections, 17 equations, 16 figures, 4 tables, 2 algorithms.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related Works
  3. Generation-based coverless steganography
  4. Reversible data hiding
  5. Diffusion Model Defined by DDIMs
  6. Methodology
  7. Analysis
  8. Framework
  9. Without-key scheme
  10. Real-key scheme with CDJB-PEHS
  11. RDH-PEHS
  12. Center Value Prediction
  13. Embedding Process
  14. Extracting Process
  15. CDJB-PEHS
  16. ...and 5 more sections

Figures (16)

  • Figure 1: Framework of common generation-based coverless image steganography
  • Figure 2: Communication model of reversible information hiding
  • Figure 3: Comparison of previous and our method
  • Figure 4: Framework of DDIM driven information hiding scheme without key
  • Figure 5: Framework of DDIM driven information hiding scheme with real key
  • ...and 11 more figures