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@article{197294,
        author = {Vaddelli Venkata Sivasaikumar and Redrouthu Manikanta and Sale Isaac Paul and Pinnamaneni Pranay Raghava Chowdary and Mrs. G. Shireesha},
        title = {Secure Signature and Image Steganography},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {11},
        pages = {6171-6176},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=197294},
        abstract = {With the rapid growth of internet-based communication, keeping sensitive information secure during transmission has become more important than ever. Traditional cryptographic approaches protect the content of a message, but they still make it obvious that something is being hidden which can itself attract unwanted attention. Image steganography takes a different route altogether: instead of scrambling data, it conceals the very existence of that data by embedding it inside a digital image. Done correctly, the resulting image looks no different from the original to the naked eye.
This paper describes a steganography system built around two core components — a Genetic Algorithm (GA) and the Least Significant Bit (LSB) technique. The basic idea is this: a user's face photo acts as the cover image, and the secret payload is a signature image. The user supplies a numeric key, which seeds the GA. From that seed, the GA produces a deterministic set of pixel positions spread across the face image. These positions function as a hidden embedding map essentially a second secret key. LSB substitution is then carried out at exactly those locations to tuck the signature data inside the face image.
Getting the signature back out is just as straightforward. The receiver enters the same numeric key, the GA runs again and reproduces the exact same pixel sequence, and the embedded bits are read out and reassembled into the original signature image. In testing, the system returned a PSNR of 42.5 dB and an MSE of 0.0013, both of which confirm that the stego images are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. Extraction accuracy was 100% whenever the correct key was used. Overall, the system offers a practical and secure mechanism for covert communication.},
        keywords = {Image Steganography, Genetic Algorithm, Least Significant Bit (LSB), Secure Data Hiding, Pixel Position Optimization, Confidential Communication, Data Protection.},
        month = {April},
        }