Abstract

Encryption transforms plain text into unreadable ciphertext, while steganography hides one piece of information within another, concealing its existence. This paper introduces a novel algorithm securing information communication through a combination of image steganography and a key in binary code converted into a digital signal. The binary key that is used to generate the key is directly linked to the mapping table and it defines how the information is encrypted within the image. When concealing the secret message, the information is hidden within different color spaces (RGB, RGBA, and CMYK), and with the channels having distinct channel ranges it adds to the complexity and robustness of our encryption process. Our method supports any local language which makes it highly adaptable as it utilizes a combination of Unicode – ASCII, symbols and mathematical formulas that can be rendered using LaTeX (Tex) files. This makes it compatible with a broad range of characters and thus widely usable. The key innovation in our technique is the use of blank images as carriers of information, making it discreet thus minimizing the risk of corruption as images are prone to corruption if some information is embedded into them. A significant advancement in the field of information security has been made from this research and allowing information concealment in any color space of the sender’s choice while the receiver retravels this information by both sound and mapping table just proves the flexibility of the process. Real world scenarios, academic research and secure government communication are some examples of a wide range of applications of the research.