Enhanced Reversible Data Hiding Scheme for Encrypted Images Using BEHSM for Improved Quality and Security

Abstract

The rise in digital media transfer has made data modification easier, necessitating secure communication and identity verification methods. Reversible data hiding (RDH), or lossless data hiding, allows for the lossless restoration of the original cover image after the extracted embedded information. Our study introduces a new method, BEHSM, which enhances the quality of encrypted images and allows for the lossless recovery of the secret image. Traditional RDH techniques, such as difference expansion and histogram modification, are common, but previous hierarchical embedding methods (HEM) were found to have low PSNR and high MSE. BEHSM, a reversible image transformation technique, improves upon these shortcomings by embedding secret data into a cover image with minimal distortion and ensuring the correct extraction of secret data while allowing for the recovery of the original cover image. Encryption is utilised before data hiding to address multimedia data transmission and storage security concerns. Our proposed BEHSM method demonstrates improved security, with low MSE and higher PSNR values, making it a robust solution for secure and lossless data hiding in encrypted images.