Vidarbha Youth Welfare Society’s

Prof. Ram Meghe Institute of Technology & Research

Badnera, Amravati (M.S.) 444701

Steganography
(Hiding Information in Images)
A Project Report
submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
of
AICTE-Edunet Foundation IBM Skillsbuild Cybersecurity
Internship
by
Mayureshwar V. Shendre

Dr. S. V. Pattalwar
HOED
Department of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering
Prof. Ram Meghe Institute of Technology & Research,
Badnera-Amravati
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the IBM and AICTE -Edunet
Foundation for providing me with an invaluable opportunity to delve into the fascinating
world of cybersecurity, AICTE-Edunet Foundation IBM SkillsBuild Cybersecurity
Internship 2025 program through its IBM Skillsbuild Platform. The project, focusing on
Steganography, has been a cornerstone of my learning experience.

My sincere thanks to my mentor Nanthini M who involved in the internship. Their

comprehensive guidance, profound knowledge, and unwavering support were instrumental
in teaching me the basic concepts of steganography from scratch. The practical insights and
hands-on experience gained through the coding implementation were particularly enriching,
transforming theoretical understanding into skills.

This journey has not only equipped me with crucial technical abilities but also ignited
a deeper passion for information security and data protection. I am truly grateful for the
foundation laid by this program, which will undoubtedly serve as a significant stepping stone
in my career.
 ABSTRACT

This project responds to the essential demand for secure and encrypted information hiding
in the digital era. Standard data encryption, as it protects content, tends to signal the existence
of sensitive information and draw unwarranted attention. The main aim was to create a
lightweight, Python-based steganography tool that could hide secret text messages in digital
images through ASCII-based XOR operations, keeping the concealed data imperceptible.
The technique entails text-to-ASCII conversion, XORing with a secret key, and inserting
resulting bits into the Least Significant Bits (LSBs) of chosen image pixels. Extraction is the
reverse process that can recover the original message using the same key. Experimental
results show effective message embedding with negligible visual distortion to the cover
image and its perceived integrity.

This project represents fundamental cybersecurity concepts of data concealment and

protection, presenting an applicable teaching aid designed as part of the AICTE-Edunet
Foundation IBM SkillsBuild Cybersecurity Internship 2025. The project summarizes
that ASCII-based XOR steganography is an effective technique for simple data hiding,
providing a platform for further advanced secure communication techniques.
 TABLE OF CONTENT

Abstract ............................................................................................................... I

Chapter 1. Introduction .........................................................................................1

1.1 Problem Statement ...............................................................................1
1.2 Motivation .............................................................................................1
1.3 Objectives ..............................................................................................2
1.4. Scope of the project ..............................................................................2
Chapter 2. Literature Survey ................................................................................3
Chapter 3. Proposed Methodology .......................................................................4
Chapter 4. Result ...................................................................................................7
Chapter 5. Conclusion .........................................................................................10
References ......................................................................................................................
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page
Figure Caption
No. No.
Figure 1 Python Code with Libraries 7
Figure 2 Encryption Code with Output 8
Figure 3 Decryption Code with Output 8
Figure 4 Original Image 9
Figure 5 Encrypted Image 9
 CHAPTER 1

Introduction

1.1 Problem Statement:

In today's digital age, secure storage and transmission of sensitive data are critical. Although
there are multiple cryptographic methods to encrypt information so that it becomes
unintelligible to intruders, encryption itself can draw attention to the fact that valuable or
confidential data might be involved, and in turn, attract malicious elements. The main
challenge is not only to protect the content of a message but also to hide the existence of that
message. This project focuses on securely embedding confidential text within digital image
files so that the hidden data remains unseen by the human eye. Only those with the right
extraction key can access it. The key goal is to ensure data secrecy without arousing
suspicion or harming the appearance of the cover medium.

1.2 Motivation:
This project was chosen due to the growing importance of digital privacy, information
security, and the increasing sophistication of cyber threats. Steganography offers a unique
approach to data protection by making hidden information virtually invisible, serving as a
powerful complement to traditional encryption.

The motivation stems from:

 Enhanced Digital Privacy by Providing a method for individuals and organizations to

transmit sensitive data without drawing attention.

 Contributing to layered security by adding an extra dimension of concealment.

 As a core component of the AICTE-Edunet Foundation IBM SkillsBuild Cybersecurity

Internship 2025, this project offers hands-on experience in cybersecurity principles,
Python programming, and image processing.

 Ideal for secure internal communications, copyright marking, digital watermarking, and
covert data channels, especially in environments where encrypted data might be
scrutinized.

pg. 1
1.3 Objective:
The primary objectives of this project are:

 To develop a Python-based application for embedding secret text messages into digital
images.

 To implement a secure and reversible ASCII-based XOR operation for data concealment.

 To create a corresponding extraction mechanism that can accurately retrieve the hidden
message using the correct XOR key.

 To provide a practical demonstration of steganography concepts as applied in

cybersecurity.

1.4 Scope of the Project:

The scope of this project is focused on:

 Data Type: Hiding and extracting textual data (ASCII characters).

 Cover Medium: Digital image files (e.g., PNG, JPG) supported by the Pillow library.

 Hiding Technique: Utilizing Least Significant Bit (LSB) manipulation in conjunction

with ASCII-based XOR operations.

 Implementation Language: Python.

 Key Management: A simple shared XOR key (character or sequence) for both
embedding and extraction.

Limitations:

 This project does not include advanced cryptographic features beyond XOR

 The capacity for hidden data is dependent on the size and properties of the cover image.

pg. 2
 CHAPTER 2

Literature Survey

Steganography, derived from the Greek words "steganos" (covered) and "graphia"
(writing), is the art of hiding communication. Its history dates back to ancient Greece, where
messages were tattooed on slaves' scalps and hidden under wax tablets. In the digital age,
steganography has evolved to conceal information within various digital media, including
images, audio, video, and text files. The fundamental principle is to embed a secret message
within a "cover" file, producing a "stego-file" that appears innocuous.

Early digital steganography techniques often focused on simple substitutions, such as

modifying the least significant bits (LSBs) of pixel values in images. The human visual
system is generally unable to detect slight changes in color, making LSB manipulation a
common and effective method for achieving imperceptibility. Research in this field has
expanded to explore different transforms (e.g., Discrete Cosine Transform, Discrete Wavelet
Transform), spatial domain methods, and even network steganography.

Several techniques have been developed for image steganography:

 Least Significant Bit (LSB) Insertion: This is one of the simplest and most widely
used techniques. It involves replacing the least significant bits of the pixel values in
the cover image with the bits of the secret message. Because LSB changes only
slightly alter the pixel's color, the changes are usually imperceptible to the human
eye. This project primarily utilizes LSB insertion.

 Transform Domain Techniques: These methods embed data into the transform
coefficients of the cover image (e.g., using Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) in
JPEG images or Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT)). These methods are generally
more robust to image manipulations like compression and filtering compared to
spatial domain methods.

 Spread Spectrum Steganography: This technique spreads the hidden message

across a wide range of frequencies or pixels, making it difficult for an attacker to
detect or remove the message without significantly damaging the cover image.

 Cover Generation: Instead of finding a suitable cover, this method generates a cover
medium that inherently contains the secret message.

pg. 3
 CHAPTER 3

Proposed Methodology

3.1 System Design

The proposed steganography system operates in two main phases: Message Embedding
(Encoding) and Message Extraction (Decoding). Both phases leverage the simplicity and
reversibility of ASCII-based XOR operations combined with Least Significant Bit (LSB)
manipulation.

 Embedding Process ( Encryption )

1. Input Modules:
o Secret Message: The textual data to be hidden.
o Cover Image: The digital image (e.g., .png, .jpg) that will serve as the container for the
secret message.
o XOR Key: A shared secret key (character or sequence) that will be used for the XOR
operation.
2. Preprocessing & Encoding Module:
o Image Loader: Loads the Cover Image and converts it into a manipulable pixel array
(e.g., using Pillow).
o Text to ASCII Converter: Converts the Secret Message into its corresponding sequence
of ASCII integer values.
o XOR Operation: Each ASCII value from the secret message is XORed with a character
from the XOR Key. The key is typically repeated to match the message length. This
operation creates an 'encoded' sequence of values.
3. Embedding Module:
o LSB Manipulator: Takes the pixel array of the Cover Image and the encoded sequence.
It then iterates through selected pixels (e.g., sequentially or based on a specific pattern)
and replaces their Least Significant Bits (LSBs) with the bits from the encoded sequence.
This ensures minimal visual change.
o Image Saver: Saves the modified pixel array as a new image file, known as the "Stego-
Image."
4. Output Module:

pg. 4
 o Stego-Image: The final image file that visually resembles the original Cover Image but
contains the hidden Secret Message.

 Extraction Process ( Decryption )

1. Input Modules:
o Stego-Image: The image file suspected or known to contain a hidden message.
o XOR Key: The same shared secret key used during the embedding process.
2. Extraction Module:
o Stego-Image Loader: Loads the Stego-Image and converts it into a pixel array.
o LSB Extractor: Retrieves the bits from the Least Significant Bits (LSBs) of the same
selected pixels from which data was embedded. This forms an 'extracted' sequence of
values.
3. Decoding Module:
o XOR Operation: Each value in the extracted sequence is XORed again with a character
from the XOR Key. This inverse XOR operation reveals the original ASCII integer
values of the secret message.
o ASCII to Text Converter: Converts the recovered ASCII integer values back into
human-readable characters, reconstructing the Secret Message.
4. Output Module:
o Secret Message: The successfully extracted original text message.

3.2 Requirement Specification

To implement the proposed steganography solution, specific hardware and software
resources are required.
Hardware Requirements:
 Processor: Any modern multi-core processor (e.g., Intel Core i3/i5/i7 or AMD Ryzen
3/5/7 equivalent)
 RAM: Minimum 4 GB, 8 GB or more recommended for smoother operation with larger
image files.
 Storage: At least 100 MB of free disk space for the project files, libraries, and image
processing.

pg. 5
Software Requirements:
 Operating System: Platform-independent (Windows 10/11, macOS, Linux
distributions).
 Programming Language: Python 3.8 or higher.
 Integrated Development Environment (IDE) / Code Editor: Any preferred IDE such
as VS Code, PyCharm, or Jupyter Notebook, Google Colab.
 Required Python Libraries:
o Pillow (PIL Fork)
Installation Command: pip install Pillow
o NumPy
Installation Command: pip install numpy
o PyCryptoDome (Crypto.Cipher)
Installation Command: pip install pycryptodome

pg. 6
 CHAPTER 4

Result

4.1 Result:

The implementation of this project involved writing Python scripts that utilized the PIL
(Pillow) library for image manipulation and NumPy for efficient array operations. The core
logic handles the conversion of text to ASCII, the application of XOR with a secret key, and
the strategic embedding/extraction of these processed bits into/from the Least Significant
Bits of image pixels.

Figure 1: Python Code with Libraries

pg. 7
 Figure 2: Encryption_code_with_output

Figure 3: Decryption_code_with_output

Enter Key: 123

Enter Text: secret
Key: 123
Text: secret

pg. 8
 Figure 4: Original_Image

Figure 5: Encrypted_Image

4.2 GitHub Link for Code:

https://github.com/mayureshwar-shendre/Steganography-AICTE-Cybersecurity-
2025.git

pg. 9
 CHAPTER 5

Conclusion

This Steganography project successfully demonstrates a secure, yet visually

imperceptible, method for concealing textual information within digital images. By
employing ASCII-based XOR operations in conjunction with Least Significant Bit (LSB)
manipulation, the project achieved its core objective of embedding and extracting secret
messages while maintaining the visual integrity of the cover image.

The project serves as a valuable educational tool, fulfilling its role within the AICTE-
Edunet Foundation IBM SkillsBuild Cybersecurity Internship 2025 by providing a
practical, hands-on understanding of:

 Fundamental cybersecurity principles related to data concealment and information

protection.
 Practical aspects of Python programming, including file handling, bitwise operations,
and library utilization.
 Basic concepts of digital image processing and pixel manipulation.
 The application of cryptographic concepts like XOR for data transformation.

pg. 10
 REFERENCES

[1]. AICTE-Edunet Foundation IBM Skillsbuild Cybersecurity Internship Course

Materials.
[2]. Johnson, N. F., Duric, Z., & Jajodia, S. (2000). Steganography and Digital
Watermarking: Principles and Applications. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.
[3]. Pillow (PIL Fork) Documentation:
https://pillow.readthedocs.io/en/stable/
[4]. NumPy Documentation:
https://numpy.org/doc/
[5]. PyCryptodome Documentation:
https://pycryptodome.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

pg. 11