Enhancing Data Security through the Integration of

Elliptic Curve Cryptography and Audio

Steganography

Nishant Bhosale
Student ID: 22227377
 Abstract

This project addresses the performance issues of conventional RSA encryption by com-
bining audio steganography with Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) to improve data
security. ECC is a viable substitute thanks to its more effective operations and reduced
key sizes. The goal of the project is to use audio steganography to create a system that
uses the advantages of ECC inside a multi-layered security framework.
The main goal is to create a reliable security solution with reduced computational
cost and faster processing by integrating audio steganography with ECC. The approach
involves employing multi-layer Least Significant Bit (LSB) embedding for data hiding
in audio files and implementing ECC algorithms in Python. Metrics like Signal-to-Noise
Ratio (SNR) and Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) will be used in the testing process to
assess encryption and decryption rates, computing efficiency, and audio quality. Security
evaluations will contrast ECC’s resistance to steganalysis methods and cryptographic
attacks with that of RSA. Aiming to establish a new benchmark for safe data transmission
and storage, expected results include increased encryption efficiency, increased resilience
to attacks, and optimized data security measures.
Contents

1 Introduction 4

2 Objectives 5

3 Literature Review 6
3.1 Important Takeaways from Al-Juaid and Gutub’s ”Combining RSA and
Audio Steganography on Personal Computers for Enhancing Security” (2019) 6
3.1.1 Security Model with Two Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.1.2 Practical Challenges and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.2 Key Findings from ”A Novel Steganography Approach for Audio Files” by
SN Computer Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2.1 Compression-Encryption Technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2.2 Multiple LSB Embedding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2.3 Perceptual Quality Preservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.3 Key Findings from ”Performance Analysis and Implementation of DES Al-
gorithm and RSA Algorithm with Image and Audio Steganography Tech-
niques” by Gambhir et al. (2019) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.3.1 Comparative Analysis of DES and RSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.3.2 Integration with Steganography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.3.3 Performance and Security Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.4 Key Findings from ”Security Enhancement in Audio Steganography by
RSA Algorithm” by Jawed and Das (2015) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.4.1 RSA-based Security Enhancement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.4.2 Audio Steganography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.4.3 Performance and Security Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.5 Key Findings from ”Information Hiding: Steganography and Watermark-
ing—Attacks and Countermeasures” by Johnson et al. (2001) . . . . . . 11
3.5.1 Comprehensive Coverage of Steganography and Watermarking . . 11
3.5.2 Attack Strategies and Countermeasures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.5.3 Theoretical Foundations and Practical Applications . . . . . . . . 11

4 Integration and Implementation Strategy 13

4.1 System Architecture Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.2 Algorithm Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.3 Performance Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.4 Security Enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.5 Real-world Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

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5 Methodology for Implementing ECC and RSA with Audio Steganogra-
phy 15
5.1 RSA Key Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.1.1 Public and Private Key Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.1.2 Pseudo Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.2 ECC Key Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.2.1 Elliptic Curve Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.2.2 Key Pair Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.2.3 Pseudo Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.3 Message Encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.3.1 RSA Encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.3.2 ECC Encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.4 Message Embedding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.4.1 Embedding Encrypted Messages into Audio Files . . . . . . . . . 17
5.5 Message Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.5.1 Extracting Embedded Messages from Audio Files . . . . . . . . . 17
5.6 Message Decryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.6.1 RSA Decryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.6.2 ECC Decryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.7 Performance Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.7.1 Time Taken for Each Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.7.2 CPU Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.7.3 Memory Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.7.4 Efficiency of Each Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5.7.5 Security Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5.8 Practical Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5.8.1 Step-by-Step Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5.9 Security Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5.9.1 Noise and Quality Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5.9.2 Integrity Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

6 Detailed Explanation of Each Module/Function 21

6.1 Key Generation (key gen.py) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
6.1.1 Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
6.1.2 Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
6.2 RSA Encryption (rsa encrypt.py) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
6.2.1 Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
6.2.2 Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6.3 ECC Encryption (ecc encrypt.py) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6.3.1 Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6.3.2 Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6.4 Message Embedding (embed.py) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6.4.1 Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6.4.2 Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6.5 Message Extraction (extract.py) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.5.1 Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.5.2 Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.6 RSA Decryption (rsa decrypt.py) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

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 6.6.1 Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.6.2 Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.7 ECC Decryption (ecc decrypt.py) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.7.1 Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.7.2 Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

7 Technical Details and Practical Implementation 24

7.1 Technical Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
7.1.1 RSA Encryption and Decryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
7.1.2 ECC Encryption and Decryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
7.1.3 Audio Steganography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
7.2 Practical Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7.2.1 Setting Up the Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7.2.2 Running the Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7.2.3 Performance Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7.2.4 Security Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

3
Chapter 1

Introduction

Using steganography and cryptography together offers a dual-layer strategy to improve

data security. Using algorithms, cryptography converts readable data into an unreadable
format, guaranteeing that only those with the proper authorization can access the data.
Steganography makes it harder for unauthorized parties to find this data by hiding it
within another media, like pictures, videos, or audio files.
Combining two different approaches, steganography and cryptography, can greatly
improve data security. Using algorithms, cryptography converts readable data into an
unreadable format so that only those with the proper authorization can decode and access
the data. On the other hand, steganography conceals the data’s existence within another
medium, including photos, films, or audio files, making it difficult for other parties to
even recognize its existence.
For many years, RSA, a popular public-key cryptography method, has been the indus-
try standard for protecting data transfers. The computational difficulty of factoring huge
prime numbers underpins their security. Nevertheless, speed bottlenecks may result from
RSA’s high computational overhead and the requirement for big key sizes to maintain
security, particularly in settings with limited resources. Because it can provide the same
level of security using far lower key sizes, ECC has emerged as a potential alternative
that has prompted researchers to look into other effective options.
The benefits of ECC stem from its mathematical basis, which enables quicker cal-
culations and less resource usage. The goal of this research is to create a system that
maintains excellent performance and efficiency while guaranteeing strong encryption by
combining ECC with audio steganography.
The main goal of this research is to overcome the performance constraints of RSA
by designing and implementing a security system that combines audio steganography
and ECC. The system will build a multi-layered security framework by utilizing audio
steganography and capitalizing on ECC’s advantages. Comparing this method to RSA-
based systems should result in reduced computing overhead and faster processing.

4
Chapter 2

Objectives

Creating and implementing a security solution that combines audio steganography and
ECC encryption is the main objective of this project. The effectiveness, security, and
resource usage of this system will be compared to that of conventional RSA-based systems.
The particular goals consist of:

1. Creating ECC Algorithms: Putting ECC ideas into practice for key generation,
encryption, and decryption procedures.

2. Integrating Audio Steganography: Employing sophisticated steganographic meth-

ods to embed ECC-encrypted data within audio files.

3. Performance Evaluation: Empirical testing should be done to assess how well the
suggested system performs in terms of efficiency, security, and computing demands
in comparison to RSA-based systems.

4. Security Analysis: Evaluating how resilient the system is to standard cryptographic

attacks and steganalysis methods.

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Chapter 3

Literature Review

3.1 Important Takeaways from Al-Juaid and Gutub’s

”Combining RSA and Audio Steganography on
Personal Computers for Enhancing Security” (2019)
3.1.1 Security Model with Two Layers
In order to safeguard sensitive data on personal computers, Al-Juaid and Gutub (2019)
develop a two-layer security approach that combines audio steganography and RSA en-
cryption. The first step in this two-step process is RSA encryption, which uses two keys
to transform plaintext data into ciphertext: a public key for encryption and a private
key for decryption. Afterwards, audio steganography employing the Least Significant Bit
(LSB) technique embeds the encrypted data into audio recordings. By modifying the
least important portions of audio file samples, this technique embeds the encrypted data
with the least possible impact on audio quality, all the while offering a hidden channel for
data transfer. This layered security model ensures that even if the steganographic layer
is compromised, the encrypted data remains protected by RSA encryption.
Relevance to App Implementation: The key insight from this model is the con-
cept of layered security, which can be directly applied to the proposed app by integrating
ECC encryption with audio steganography. ECC, like RSA, provides a robust encryp-
tion mechanism but with the added advantage of smaller key sizes, leading to faster and
more efficient encryption and decryption processes. By replacing RSA with ECC, the
app can achieve similar or enhanced security with improved performance. Implementing
a two-layer security model where ECC encryption secures the data before embedding it
into audio files using LSB steganography will ensure that even if the steganographic layer
is breached, the data remains encrypted and secure.

3.1.2 Practical Challenges and Solutions

The paper highlights several practical challenges associated with implementing RSA and
audio steganography, such as key management and the impact of data embedding on
audio quality. Key management is crucial for ensuring the security of encrypted data,
as it involves the secure generation, distribution, and storage of encryption keys. The
paper discusses methods for securely managing RSA keys, which can be adapted for ECC
key management in the proposed app. Additionally, the impact of data embedding on

6
audio quality is addressed, with strategies to minimize audio quality degradation while
maximizing data embedding capacity.
Relevance to App Implementation: The insights on key management can be
leveraged to develop a robust ECC key management system for the app. This system
will handle key generation, distribution, and storage securely, ensuring the protection of
encrypted data. Furthermore, techniques to preserve audio quality while embedding data
can be applied to ensure that the integration of ECC and LSB steganography maintains
high audio quality. This is critical for the app’s usability, as it ensures that the stego-audio
files remain indistinguishable from the original audio files to human listeners.

3.2 Key Findings from ”A Novel Steganography Ap-

proach for Audio Files” by SN Computer Science
3.2.1 Compression-Encryption Technique
The innovative method proposed by SN Computer Science integrates audio steganog-
raphy with a compression-encryption technique to enhance the security and capacity of
steganographic systems. The Geometric Mean Pixel Ratio (GMPR) method is utilized for
image compression, significantly reducing the size of the image without compromising its
quality. This compressed image is then encrypted to ensure data security before embed-
ding it into audio signals using multiple layers of LSBs. This dual process of compression
and encryption ensures that the data is not only smaller but also securely encoded before
steganographic embedding.
Relevance to App Implementation: Incorporating a data compression step before
ECC encryption can significantly increase the embedding capacity of the audio files. By
reducing the size of the data through compression, more data can be embedded within the
audio carrier. This increases the efficiency of the steganographic system. Additionally,
combining the compression method with ECC encryption enhances the overall security
and efficiency of the system. The proposed app can adopt this compression-encryption
technique to optimize the balance between security and performance.

3.2.2 Multiple LSB Embedding

The paper also introduces the concept of multiple LSB layers for embedding data, which
enhances the security and robustness of the steganographic method. Traditional LSB
steganography typically uses a single LSB layer, but by distributing the encrypted data
across multiple LSB layers, the complexity and security of the steganographic process are
increased. This multi-layer approach makes it more challenging for attackers to extract
the hidden data, as they would need to decode multiple layers correctly.
Relevance to App Implementation: Implementing a multi-layer LSB embedding
technique in the app can significantly enhance the security and robustness of the stegano-
graphic process when embedding ECC-encrypted data. This approach can create a highly
secure system for hiding sensitive information within audio files, making it more difficult
for attackers to detect and extract the embedded data. The proposed app can adapt this
technique to ensure that the ECC-encrypted data is securely hidden within the audio
files, providing an additional layer of security.

7
3.2.3 Perceptual Quality Preservation
Maintaining the perceptual quality of the audio is crucial for practical steganographic
applications. The method proposed in the paper ensures that the embedded data does
not perceptibly alter the audio files, maintaining high audio quality. The authors report
high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) values, indicating
minimal degradation of audio quality. Listening tests confirmed that the embedded data
did not perceptibly alter the audio files.
Relevance to App Implementation: Ensuring high audio quality after embedding
ECC-encrypted data is essential for the practical application of the ECC-audio steganog-
raphy system. The app can adopt the methods used to preserve audio quality while
embedding data, ensuring that the integration of ECC and multi-layer LSB techniques
maintains high audio quality. Empirical validation and metrics like SNR and PSNR can
be used to assess and ensure that the audio quality remains high after embedding the
data, making the stego-audio files indistinguishable from the original audio files to human
listeners.

3.3 Key Findings from ”Performance Analysis and

Implementation of DES Algorithm and RSA Al-
gorithm with Image and Audio Steganography
Techniques” by Gambhir et al. (2019)
3.3.1 Comparative Analysis of DES and RSA
The study by Gambhir et al. (2019) conducts a detailed comparative analysis of DES and
RSA algorithms, evaluating their performance in terms of encryption time, decryption
time, and the impact on steganographic embedding. DES is a symmetric key algorithm
that encrypts data in fixed-size blocks using a shared secret key, known for its relatively
fast encryption and decryption processes. However, its shorter key length makes it vul-
nerable to brute-force attacks. On the other hand, RSA is an asymmetric key algorithm
that uses a pair of keys (public and private) for encryption and decryption. It provides
strong security based on the computational difficulty of factoring large prime numbers
but is computationally intensive, especially for large datasets.
Relevance to App Implementation: The insights gained from the comparative
analysis of DES and RSA can be directly applied to evaluate the performance of ECC in
the proposed app. ECC is expected to offer faster and more efficient processing compared
to RSA due to its smaller key sizes and lower computational requirements. By compar-
ing ECC’s performance metrics with those of DES and RSA, the app can demonstrate
ECC’s efficiency and effectiveness in similar applications. The performance evaluation
will include encryption and decryption times, computational efficiency, and the impact on
steganographic embedding, ensuring that ECC offers significant improvements in these
areas.

3.3.2 Integration with Steganography

The paper integrates both DES and RSA with image and audio steganography, allow-
ing for a comprehensive evaluation of their effectiveness in different contexts. For image

8
steganography, the study uses image files as carriers for embedding encrypted data, em-
ploying techniques such as LSB modification to hide the encrypted data within the image
pixels. For audio steganography, the study uses audio files as carriers, employing LSB
modification to embed the encrypted data within the audio samples. The effectiveness of
the steganographic process is evaluated based on the visual quality of the stego-images
and the perceptual quality of the stego-audio files, as well as their resistance to steganal-
ysis.
Relevance to App Implementation: The hybrid integration of ECC with audio
steganography can be explored in a similar manner to evaluate its effectiveness in hiding
encrypted data within audio files. The proposed app will focus on integrating ECC
encryption with LSB steganography to ensure robust security and efficient performance.
Techniques such as adaptive LSB and spread spectrum can be investigated for their
suitability in embedding ECC-encrypted data into audio files. The app will also evaluate
the visual and perceptual quality of the stego-images and stego-audio files, ensuring that
the embedding process does not degrade the quality of the carrier files.

3.3.3 Performance and Security Analysis

The study reports on various performance metrics, including computational efficiency,
encryption and decryption times, and the resilience of the steganographic method to
attacks. DES is found to be faster but less secure due to its shorter key length, while
RSA provides stronger security but is computationally intensive. The security analysis
focuses on the resilience of the encryption algorithms to various attacks, highlighting
RSA’s robustness to brute-force attacks and other common cryptographic attacks. The
dual-layer approach, combining encryption with steganography, adds an additional layer
of security, making it more challenging for attackers to access the hidden data.
Relevance to App Implementation: The proposed app will conduct a similar
performance and security analysis for ECC, measuring encryption and decryption times,
computational efficiency, and impact on audio quality. ECC’s security benefits will be
evaluated based on its resilience to various attacks, ensuring that the system is robust
against common cryptographic and steganalysis attacks. By comparing ECC’s perfor-
mance and security metrics with those of DES and RSA, the app aims to demonstrate
the superior security features and efficiency of ECC, making it a suitable choice for inte-
grating with audio steganography.

3.4 Key Findings from ”Security Enhancement in

Audio Steganography by RSA Algorithm” by Jawed
and Das (2015)
3.4.1 RSA-based Security Enhancement
Jawed and Das (2015) focus on enhancing the security of audio steganography using RSA
encryption. RSA is an asymmetric key algorithm that utilizes a public and private key
pair for encryption and decryption, providing a robust layer of security. The encryption
process involves converting plaintext into ciphertext using the RSA public key, which
requires modular exponentiation and large prime numbers. The decryption process uses
the private key to reverse the modular exponentiation, converting the ciphertext back into

9
plaintext. The complexity of these processes ensures that only the intended recipient,
who possesses the private key, can decrypt the data.
Relevance to App Implementation: The detailed descriptions of RSA’s encryp-
tion and decryption processes can be adapted for ECC in the proposed app. ECC also uses
a public and private key pair system for encryption and decryption but with smaller key
sizes and lower computational requirements. By implementing ECC’s public and private
key pair system, the app can achieve robust encryption and decryption processes simi-
lar to RSA but with improved efficiency. Ensuring that the encryption process provides
robust security will protect the data even if the steganographic layer is compromised,
making ECC a suitable replacement for RSA in the app.

3.4.2 Audio Steganography

The paper employs the LSB method for embedding encrypted data within audio files.
The LSB method involves modifying the least significant bits of audio samples to embed
the encrypted data, ensuring minimal impact on audio quality. The data embedding
and extraction processes are detailed, with the encrypted data being split into bits and
inserted into the least significant bits of the audio samples. During extraction, these bits
are retrieved and recombined to form the original encrypted data, which is then decrypted
using the RSA private key.
Relevance to App Implementation: The LSB method used in the study can be
directly applied to embed ECC-encrypted data within audio files in the proposed app.
By utilizing the LSB method, the app can ensure that the audio quality remains high
while securely embedding the encrypted data. The detailed embedding and extraction
processes provided in the paper can be adapted for ECC-encrypted data, ensuring that
the data is securely hidden within the audio files and can be accurately retrieved and
decrypted by the intended recipient.

3.4.3 Performance and Security Analysis

The paper conducts a comprehensive analysis of the performance and security of the RSA-
based audio steganography system. Key performance metrics include encryption and
decryption times, computational efficiency, and the impact on audio quality. The security
analysis focuses on the resilience of RSA encryption to various attacks, highlighting its
robustness to brute-force attacks and other common cryptographic attacks. The dual-
layer approach, combining encryption with steganography, adds an additional layer of
security, making it more challenging for attackers to access the hidden data.
Relevance to App Implementation: The proposed app will conduct a similar
performance and security analysis for ECC, measuring encryption and decryption times,
computational efficiency, and impact on audio quality. ECC’s security benefits will be
evaluated based on its resilience to various attacks, ensuring that the system is robust
against common cryptographic and steganalysis attacks. By comparing ECC’s perfor-
mance and security metrics with those of RSA, the app aims to demonstrate the superior
security features and efficiency of ECC, making it a suitable choice for integrating with
audio steganography.

10
3.5 Key Findings from ”Information Hiding: Steganog-
raphy and Watermarking—Attacks and Coun-
termeasures” by Johnson et al. (2001)
3.5.1 Comprehensive Coverage of Steganography and Water-
marking
The book ”Information Hiding: Steganography and Watermarking—Attacks and Coun-
termeasures” by Johnson et al. (2001) provides a detailed overview of the principles
and techniques of steganography and watermarking. The text explores various stegano-
graphic methods, including spatial domain techniques like LSB modification and trans-
form domain techniques such as Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and Discrete Wavelet
Transform (DWT). Each technique is analyzed for its strengths and weaknesses, pro-
viding a holistic view of the field. Watermarking methods, which embed information
into media to assert ownership or provide authentication, are also covered extensively,
discussing techniques like robust watermarking, fragile watermarking, and semi-fragile
watermarking.
Relevance to App Implementation: The comprehensive coverage of stegano-
graphic and watermarking techniques provides valuable methodological insights for de-
signing and implementing the proposed ECC-audio steganography system. The app can
select and adapt appropriate steganographic techniques for embedding ECC-encrypted
data into audio files, ensuring robust security and efficient performance. Techniques such
as adaptive LSB and transform domain methods can be considered for their robustness
and capacity, providing enhanced security for the embedded data.

3.5.2 Attack Strategies and Countermeasures

The book categorizes and describes various attack strategies that can be used against
steganographic and watermarking systems, along with potential countermeasures to de-
fend against these attacks. The attacks are classified into categories such as steganalysis
attacks, watermarking attacks, and protocol attacks. Each type of attack is explained
with examples and potential impacts on the security of the hidden information. The text
offers countermeasures for each type of attack, ranging from robust encryption techniques
to advanced embedding methods that increase the resilience of the hidden data.
Relevance to App Implementation: Understanding the various attack strategies
and their potential impact on steganographic systems will inform the design of robust
ECC-audio steganography methods in the app. By incorporating countermeasures dis-
cussed in the text, the app can enhance its resilience to steganalysis and cryptographic
attacks. Ensuring that the system is protected against common attack strategies will
make the ECC-audio steganography system more secure and robust, safeguarding the
embedded data from unauthorized access and manipulation.

3.5.3 Theoretical Foundations and Practical Applications

The theoretical aspects of steganography and watermarking are thoroughly discussed in
the book, providing a deep understanding of the mathematical and computational prin-
ciples underlying these techniques. The book delves into the mathematical models that

11
support steganographic and watermarking methods, such as probability theory, signal
processing, and information theory. These models help in designing effective and se-
cure information hiding systems. Various practical applications of steganography and
watermarking are explored, including digital rights management, secure communication,
and covert data transmission, demonstrating the real-world relevance and importance of
robust information hiding techniques.
Relevance to App Implementation: The theoretical foundation provided in the
text will help in developing a robust security framework for the proposed app, ensuring
that the integrated system is well-protected against various threats. Utilizing the mathe-
matical models discussed will guide the design and optimization of ECC-based encryption
and steganography algorithms. Additionally, evaluating the system’s performance and
security in practical applications like secure communication and digital rights manage-
ment will provide insights into its practical applicability and identify potential challenges
and solutions for real-world deployment.

12
Chapter 4

Integration and Implementation

Strategy

Based on the extracted findings, the following steps outline the strategy for implementing
the app:

4.1 System Architecture Design

The proposed system architecture will be modular, comprising separate components for
compression, encryption, and embedding to ensure flexibility and scalability. Each com-
ponent will be developed independently and integrated to form a cohesive system. A
robust ECC key management system will be developed for secure key generation, distri-
bution, and storage, ensuring the protection of encrypted data. The compression module
will handle data compression using the GMPR method, preparing the data for encryp-
tion by reducing its size. The encryption module will implement efficient ECC encryption
and decryption algorithms, focusing on optimized elliptic curve operations. The embed-
ding module will employ a multi-layer LSB embedding technique to enhance security and
robustness.

4.2 Algorithm Development

The GMPR-based compression algorithm effectively reduces the size of the data, making
it suitable for embedding in audio files. This algorithm will be optimized and integrated
with ECC encryption in the proposed app. The ECC encryption algorithm will be de-
veloped to ensure efficient and secure encryption and decryption, leveraging the smaller
key sizes and lower computational requirements of ECC. The multi-layer LSB embed-
ding algorithm will distribute the encrypted data across multiple LSB layers, enhancing
the security and robustness of the steganographic process. Techniques such as adap-
tive LSB and transform domain methods will be explored to optimize the integration of
ECC-encrypted data with audio steganography.

4.3 Performance Evaluation

Empirical testing will be conducted to evaluate encryption and decryption times, compu-
tational efficiency, and impact on audio quality. The performance evaluation will include

13
metrics such as encryption and decryption times, CPU usage, memory consumption, em-
bedding capacity, and audio quality, using SNR and PSNR values. Ensuring high audio
quality after embedding ECC-encrypted data is essential for the practical application
of the system. The proposed app will conduct listening tests and quality assessments
to ensure that the audio quality remains high after embedding the data, making the
stego-audio files indistinguishable from the original audio files to human listeners.

4.4 Security Enhancements

Advanced security measures and countermeasures will be implemented to protect the
ECC-audio steganography system against various attack strategies. The app will in-
corporate countermeasures to enhance its resilience to steganalysis and cryptographic
attacks, ensuring robust security. The system’s resilience to attacks will be tested, en-
suring that it is robust against common cryptographic and steganalysis attacks. The
app will leverage RSA’s robustness as a benchmark to evaluate ECC’s security benefits,
focusing on key size, computational efficiency, and resistance to cryptographic attacks.

4.5 Real-world Applications

The proposed ECC-audio steganography system will be evaluated in various real-world
scenarios, such as secure communication, digital rights management, and secure data
storage. The research will extend to evaluating the system’s performance and security
in these applications, identifying potential challenges and solutions for real-world deploy-
ment. Evaluating the system in real-world scenarios will provide insights into its practical
applicability and identify areas for improvement. Continuous improvement and optimiza-
tion will be a focus, ensuring that the system meets the highest standards of security and
efficiency.

14
Chapter 5

Methodology for Implementing ECC

and RSA with Audio Steganography

This methodology outlines the detailed steps and technical implementation for combin-
ing two encryption algorithms, Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) and RSA, with audio
steganography. The objective is to enhance data security by leveraging the strengths of
both encryption algorithms and the covert communication capabilities of audio steganog-
raphy. The methodology focuses on technical details, performance metrics, and practical
implementation, ensuring a thorough understanding of each step and its significance.

5.1 RSA Key Generation

5.1.1 Public and Private Key Generation
The RSA key generation process begins with selecting two large prime numbers, p and
q, which are multiplied together to form the modulus n. The public key consists of the
modulus n and an exponent e, typically a small prime number like 65537. The private
key is derived using the modulus n, the public exponent e, and the private exponent
d, computed using the Extended Euclidean Algorithm to ensure d satisfies the equation
e · d ≡ 1 mod φ(n), where φ(n) is the totient function of n.

5.1.2 Pseudo Code

Generate two large prime numbers p and q
Compute modulus n = p * q
Compute totient (n) = (p - 1) * (q - 1)
Select public exponent e such that 1 < e < (n) and gcd(e, (n)) = 1
Compute private exponent d such that e * d 1 (mod (n))
Save public key (n, e) and private key (n, d)

5.2 ECC Key Generation

5.2.1 Elliptic Curve Selection
An appropriate elliptic curve is selected based on its parameters, such as the NIST recom-
mended curve secp256k1. The curve equation is typically y 2 = x3 + ax + b mod p, where

15
p is a prime number, and a and b are curve parameters that satisfy certain mathematical
properties ensuring the curve’s security and efficiency.

5.2.2 Key Pair Generation

A random integer d is chosen as the private key. The public key Q is computed by
performing elliptic curve point multiplication: Q = d · G, where G is the base point
defined by the elliptic curve parameters.

5.2.3 Pseudo Code

Select elliptic curve parameters (a, b, p)
Generate random private key d
Compute public key Q = d * G
Save private key d and public key Q

5.3 Message Encryption

5.3.1 RSA Encryption
Encryption Process
The RSA public key is loaded, and the plaintext message is read from a file. The message
is encrypted using the RSA public key with Optimal Asymmetric Encryption Padding
(OAEP) and SHA-256 as the hashing algorithm. OAEP adds randomness to the plain-
text, ensuring that the same plaintext encrypted multiple times will produce different
ciphertexts.

Pseudo Code
Load RSA public key
Read plaintext message from file
Encrypt message using public key and OAEP padding with SHA-256
Save encrypted message to binary file

5.3.2 ECC Encryption

Encryption Process
The ECC public key is loaded, and the plaintext message is read from a file. The mes-
sage is encrypted using the ECC public key with Elliptic Curve Integrated Encryption
Scheme (ECIES). ECIES combines elliptic curve cryptography with a symmetric encryp-
tion scheme for confidentiality, typically using a Key Derivation Function (KDF) and a
symmetric encryption algorithm like AES.

Pseudo Code
Load ECC public key
Read plaintext message from file

16
Encrypt message using public key and ECIES with KDF and symmetric encryption
Save encrypted message to binary file

5.4 Message Embedding

5.4.1 Embedding Encrypted Messages into Audio Files
Wave File Handling
The audio file is opened in binary mode, and its frames are read into a bytearray to allow
manipulation. The encrypted message is converted into its binary representation, and
each bit of the message is embedded into the least significant bits (LSBs) of the audio
frames. This method ensures that the modifications to the audio file are minimal and
imperceptible to the human ear.

Pseudo Code
Open audio file in binary mode
Read audio frames into byte array
Convert encrypted message to binary format
Embed message bits into LSBs of audio frames
Save modified audio file

5.5 Message Extraction

5.5.1 Extracting Embedded Messages from Audio Files
Wave File Handling
The modified audio file is opened, and the frames are read into a bytearray. The LSBs of
the audio frames are extracted to reconstruct the original binary message. The extracted
bits are then grouped back into bytes to retrieve the embedded message.

Pseudo Code
Open modified audio file in binary mode
Read audio frames into bytearray
Extract LSBs from audio frames to reconstruct binary message
Group bits into bytes and save extracted message to binary file

5.6 Message Decryption

5.6.1 RSA Decryption
Decryption Process
The RSA private key is loaded, and the encrypted message is read from a binary file.
The message is decrypted using the RSA private key with OAEP padding, reversing the
encryption process and recovering the original plaintext message.

17
Pseudo Code
Load RSA private key
Read encrypted message from binary file
Decrypt message using private key and OAEP padding with SHA-256
Display or save decrypted message

5.6.2 ECC Decryption

Decryption Process
The ECC private key is loaded, and the encrypted message is read from a binary file. The
message is decrypted using the ECC private key and ECIES, reversing the encryption
process and recovering the original plaintext message.

Pseudo Code
Load ECC private key
Read encrypted message from binary file
Decrypt message using private key and ECIES with KDF and symmetric decryption
Display or save decrypted message

5.7 Performance Metrics

To evaluate and compare the performance of RSA and ECC when used with audio
steganography, the following metrics are considered:

5.7.1 Time Taken for Each Process

Measure the time taken for key generation, encryption, embedding, extraction, and de-
cryption processes. Use high-resolution timers to capture the start and end times of each
operation to ensure accurate measurements.

5.7.2 CPU Usage

Monitor the CPU usage during each process to assess the computational overhead. Use
system monitoring tools or libraries to measure the CPU load before, during, and after
the operations, ensuring a comprehensive assessment of CPU utilization.

5.7.3 Memory Usage

Track the memory consumption during each process to evaluate the efficiency of the
algorithms. Measure the memory usage at different stages, such as before starting the
process, during execution, and after completion, to identify any significant memory spikes.

18
5.7.4 Efficiency of Each Process
Calculate the efficiency based on the time, CPU, and memory usage. Compare the per-
formance metrics of RSA and ECC to determine which algorithm offers better efficiency
when combined with audio steganography.

5.7.5 Security Assessment

Evaluate the security of the encrypted and embedded messages against potential attacks.
Conduct tests to assess the robustness of the encryption and steganography methods,
including steganalysis to detect the presence of hidden messages and cryptanalysis to
test the strength of the encryption.

5.8 Practical Implementation

5.8.1 Step-by-Step Implementation
Key Generation
• Generate RSA and ECC key pairs using cryptographic libraries.
• Save the keys to files, ensuring they are stored securely and accessed only by au-
thorized processes.

Message Encryption
• Read the secret message from the user input via the GUI.
• Encrypt the message using RSA and ECC algorithms.
• Save the encrypted messages to binary files for further processing.

Message Embedding
• Select an audio file to use as the cover medium.
• Embed the encrypted messages into the audio file using LSB steganography.
• Save the modified audio files with embedded messages, ensuring the integrity and
quality of the audio are maintained.

Message Extraction
• Open the modified audio files and extract the embedded messages.
• Save the extracted messages to binary files for decryption.

Message Decryption
• Decrypt the extracted messages using the respective private keys.
• Display the decrypted messages to verify the accuracy of the process and ensure
the original message is recovered correctly.

19
Performance Evaluation
• Time Measurement: Use high-resolution timers to measure the start and end
times of each operation. Calculate the elapsed time for key generation, encryption,
embedding, extraction, and decryption, ensuring precise measurements.

• CPU and Memory Monitoring: Use system monitoring tools or libraries to

measure CPU and memory usage. Capture the CPU load and memory consumption
at different stages of each process to identify any performance bottlenecks.

• Efficiency Calculation: Calculate the efficiency based on the measured time,

CPU, and memory usage. Compare the efficiency metrics of RSA and ECC to
identify the more efficient algorithm when combined with audio steganography.

Security Evaluation
• Robustness Testing: Conduct steganalysis tests to evaluate the robustness of the
embedded messages against detection. Perform cryptanalysis to assess the security
of the encrypted messages, ensuring they are resistant to common attacks.

5.9 Security Evaluation

5.9.1 Noise and Quality Assessment
Evaluate the impact of embedding encrypted messages on the quality of the audio files.
Use audio quality metrics, such as Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and Perceptual Evaluation
of Audio Quality (PEAQ), to measure any degradation in audio quality.

5.9.2 Integrity Checks

Ensure that the decryption process retrieves the exact message that was initially en-
crypted and embedded. This is crucial for maintaining the reliability of the communica-
tion system and verifying the success of the steganography and encryption processes.

20
Chapter 6

Detailed Explanation of Each

Module/Function

6.1 Key Generation (key gen.py)

6.1.1 Purpose
The key generation module is responsible for creating the public and private keys required
for both RSA and ECC encryption.

6.1.2 Process
• RSA Key Generation:

– Two large prime numbers, p and q, are generated.

– The modulus n is calculated as n = p × q.
– The totient φ(n) is computed as φ(n) = (p − 1) × (q − 1).
– A public exponent e is chosen such that 1 < e < φ(n) and gcd(e, φ(n)) = 1.
– The private exponent d is calculated to satisfy e × d ≡ 1 mod φ(n).
– The public key (n, e) and the private key (n, d) are saved to files.

• ECC Key Generation:

– An elliptic curve is selected with parameters (a, b, p).

– A random integer d is generated as the private key.
– The public key Q is computed as Q = d × G, where G is the base point on the
curve.
– The private key d and the public key Q are saved to files.

6.2 RSA Encryption (rsa encrypt.py)

6.2.1 Purpose
The RSA encryption module encrypts a plaintext message using the RSA public key.

21
6.2.2 Process
• The RSA public key is loaded from a file.

• The plaintext message is read from a file.

• The message is encrypted using the RSA public key with OAEP padding and SHA-
256 as the hashing algorithm.

• The encrypted message is saved to a binary file.

• The encrypted message is printed for verification.

6.3 ECC Encryption (ecc encrypt.py)

6.3.1 Purpose
The ECC encryption module encrypts a plaintext message using the ECC public key.

6.3.2 Process
• The ECC public key is loaded from a file.

• The plaintext message is read from a file.

• The message is encrypted using the ECC public key with ECIES, combining elliptic
curve cryptography with symmetric encryption.

• The encrypted message is saved to a binary file.

• The encrypted message is printed for verification.

6.4 Message Embedding (embed.py)

6.4.1 Purpose
The message embedding module embeds the encrypted message into an audio file using
LSB steganography.

6.4.2 Process
• The encrypted message is read from a binary file.

• The audio file is opened and its frames are read into a bytearray.

• The encrypted message is converted into binary form.

• Each bit of the message is embedded into the least significant bits of the audio
frames.

• The modified audio file is saved, maintaining the quality and integrity of the original
audio.

22
6.5 Message Extraction (extract.py)
6.5.1 Purpose
The message extraction module extracts the embedded message from the modified audio
file.

6.5.2 Process
• The modified audio file is opened and its frames are read into a bytearray.

• The least significant bits of the audio frames are extracted to reconstruct the original
binary message.

• The extracted message is saved to a binary file for decryption.

6.6 RSA Decryption (rsa decrypt.py)

6.6.1 Purpose
The RSA decryption module decrypts an encrypted message using the RSA private key.

6.6.2 Process
• The RSA private key is loaded from a file.

• The encrypted message is read from a binary file.

• The message is decrypted using the RSA private key with OAEP padding.

• The decrypted message is printed and saved for verification.

6.7 ECC Decryption (ecc decrypt.py)

6.7.1 Purpose
The ECC decryption module decrypts an encrypted message using the ECC private key.

6.7.2 Process
• The ECC private key is loaded from a file.

• The encrypted message is read from a binary file.

• The message is decrypted using the ECC private key with ECIES.

• The decrypted message is printed and saved for verification.

23
Chapter 7

Technical Details and Practical

Implementation

7.1 Technical Details

7.1.1 RSA Encryption and Decryption
RSA is an asymmetric encryption algorithm relying on the mathematical properties of
large prime numbers. The security of RSA is based on the difficulty of factoring the
product of two large primes. RSA encryption uses a public key to encrypt the message,
while decryption requires a private key. The use of OAEP padding adds randomness to
the plaintext, making it more secure against chosen plaintext attacks.

7.1.2 ECC Encryption and Decryption

ECC is an asymmetric encryption algorithm leveraging the mathematical properties of
elliptic curves. ECC provides the same level of security as RSA with smaller key sizes,
making it more efficient. The ECIES scheme combines elliptic curve cryptography with
symmetric encryption, providing both confidentiality and efficiency. The security of
ECC is based on the difficulty of solving the Elliptic Curve Discrete Logarithm Prob-
lem (ECDLP).

7.1.3 Audio Steganography

Audio steganography involves embedding hidden messages into audio files by modifying
the least significant bits of the audio frames. The modifications are imperceptible to the
human ear, making it a covert method of communication. The choice of LSB steganog-
raphy ensures minimal impact on the audio quality while allowing for the embedding of
large messages. The embedded messages can be extracted and decrypted to retrieve the
original secret message.

24
7.2 Practical Implementation
7.2.1 Setting Up the Environment
Ensure the necessary libraries and dependencies are installed, such as cryptography, tkin-
ter, psutil, and audio processing libraries. Set up the project directory with the required
files, including the encryption and decryption scripts, key generation scripts, and the
audio file for embedding.

7.2.2 Running the Application

• Launch the application by running the app.py script, which initializes the GUI.
• Use the GUI to generate RSA and ECC keys by clicking the ”Generate Keys”
button.
• Enter a secret message in the text box and encrypt it using RSA or ECC by clicking
the respective buttons.
• Embed the encrypted message into the audio file by selecting the output file location
and running the embedding process.
• Extract the embedded message from the modified audio file by selecting the input
file and running the extraction process.
• Decrypt the extracted message using RSA or ECC to retrieve the original plaintext
message.

7.2.3 Performance Metrics

• Time Measurement: Use high-resolution timers to measure the start and end
times of each operation. Calculate the elapsed time for key generation, encryption,
embedding, extraction, and decryption, ensuring precise measurements.
• CPU and Memory Monitoring: Use system monitoring tools or libraries to
measure CPU and memory usage. Capture the CPU load and memory consumption
at different stages of each process to identify any performance bottlenecks.
• Efficiency Calculation: Calculate the efficiency based on the measured time,
CPU, and memory usage. Compare the efficiency metrics of RSA and ECC to
identify the more efficient algorithm when combined with audio steganography.

7.2.4 Security Evaluation

• Robustness Testing: Conduct steganalysis tests to evaluate the robustness of the
embedded messages against detection. Perform cryptanalysis to assess the security
of the encrypted messages, ensuring they are resistant to common attacks.
• Noise and Quality Assessment: Evaluate the impact of embedding encrypted
messages on the quality of the audio files. Use audio quality metrics, such as
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and Perceptual Evaluation of Audio Quality (PEAQ),
to measure any degradation in audio quality.

25
• Integrity Checks: Verify the integrity of the decrypted messages by comparing
them with the original secret messages. Ensure that the decryption process retrieves
the exact message that was initially encrypted and embedded.

26