Digital Data Security: Integration of RSA and Pseudo-Random Prime Number Generator in Steganography Engineering

The increasing reliance on digital data exchange has raised critical concerns regarding information security and confidentiality. This research proposes a secure data hiding technique by integrating the RSA algorithm and a Pseudo-Random Prime Number Generator (PRPNG) into steganography. The objective is to enhance both the encryption efficiency and the robustness of hidden data. The method involves converting secret messages into numeric form limited to digits 0-9 to optimize the Least Significant Bit (LSB) substitution process within digital images. The encryption utilizes asymmetric RSA keys generated from dynamically selected pseudo-random prime numbers, which adds a layer of complexity and security. The experiment compared conventional and optimized steganographic approaches by measuring encryption-decryption time and the imperceptibility of the modified images. Results indicate that the optimized steganography method significantly reduces encryption time while embedding a greater amount of data without affecting visual quality. Moreover, the decryption process, while slightly slower, benefits from enhanced security due to the requirement of specific private keys, correct prime pair identification, and precise padding. This integration proves to be a viable and secure approach for embedding sensitive data in digital images, contributing to improved digital data protection in various applications, especially those requiring confidentiality, such as secure communications and digital watermarking.