Stego-chain: A framework to mine encoded stego-block in a decentralized network

Abstract Traditional image steganography conceals secret data into the cover image and then transmits the resulting stego-image to the intended recipient via an insecure channel. The intruders try to sense the channel but cannot easily find any clues regarding the concealed data since both cover and stego images are seemingly indistinguishable. However, the key concern is the integrity of the stego image as an intruder has the ability to intercept image so as to hamper the secret communication. To address this issue, we have introduced a blockchain based framework named “Stego-chain” which utilizes an efficient steganographic scheme based on dilated Robert’s edge detection. The aim of the said scheme is to expand the edge area so as to increase the embedding payload. The resulting stego image is encrypted through a shared secret key and then broadcasted in the form of chunk of frames across the valid nodes. The receiver accepts the tampered free frames, re-constructs the stego image through the shared secret key and then recovers the secret data through extraction procedure. Simulation results ensured that the proposed scheme offers higher payload than the state-of-the-art methods with considerable distortion in the stego image.