A reversible and robust hybrid image steganography framework using radon transform and integer lifting wavelet transform

Abstract

Abstract This study introduces a reliable and reversible image steganography framework that integrates Radon Transform (RT) and Integer Lifting Wavelet Transform (ILWT) to enhance security, imperceptibility, and robustness. The RT obscures data locations through rotations, scaling, and translations, while ILWT ensures full reversibility by maintaining integer wavelet coefficients, guaranteeing no data loss during reconstruction. Data embedding is performed in the middle bit planes of high-frequency sub-bands (LH, HL, HH) using Arithmetic Coding, optimizing space utilization while preserving visual quality. Experimental results demonstrate the method’s superior performance, achieving Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) values exceeding 46 dB, a 15% improvement over existing techniques, ensuring the hidden data remains imperceptible to the human eye. The system exhibits exceptional robustness, with a Bit Error Rate (BER) as low as 0.0017 under scaling distortions, representing a 30% reduction compared to state-of-the-art methods. Additionally, the framework achieves a 25% increase in embedding capacity, enabling higher data payloads without compromising image quality. High Normalized Correlation Coefficient (NCC) values close to 1 further confirm the algorithm’s reversibility and integrity, even under common attacks such as Gaussian Noise, Poisson Noise, Blurring, and Cropping. Compared to existing techniques, the proposed framework demonstrates significant improvements in embedding capacity, robustness, and visual fidelity. This method holds great promise for secure data hiding in applications such as secure communication, medical imaging, and digital watermarking, where data integrity and confidentiality are critical.