Stereo Audio Steganography based on Mid/Side Processing

Öz

This paper introduces a novel audio steganography algorithm that integrates principles from music theory and audio mixing techniques. In the field of steganography, audio files are often less favored as cover media due to the heightened sensitivity of the human auditory system. To maintain the principle of imperceptibility, data-hiding capacity is typically reduced. However, the method proposed in this work demonstrates how music production technologies can be effectively applied in audio steganography, ensuring minimal perceptual impact. In particular, the process of separately mixing the mid and side components of the sound with signal processing tools, often used by mixing engineers, brings a new perspective to audio steganography. Experimental results show that even when the entire cover file is utilized for data embedding, the imperceptibility remains intact. Additionally, the proposed method exhibits strong robustness, maintaining message integrity even after MP3 compression also known as one of the common stego-attack-. MATLAB codes related to this study are available at the following link: http://bit.ly/3R6uwZv

Anahtar Kelimeler

• audio steganography
• mid/side
• data hiding
• steganography
• watermarking

Etik Beyan

This manuscript is the original work of the author(s) and has not been published or submitted elsewhere. All relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and no part of this work involves any form of unethical practice. The data used in this study was obtained from publicly available sources and does not violate any privacy or copyright regulations.

Teşekkür

This article is an updated and expanded version of the paper titled "Audio Steganography with Stereo Audio by Using Mid/Side Processing," presented at the International Conference on Cyber Security and Digital Forensics (ICONSEC'24). We would like to express our gratitude to the conference committee for their valuable feedback, the reviewers who will evaluate this manuscript, and Prof. Dr. Murat Gök for his contributions.

Orta/Kenar Bileşenlerinin İşlenmesi Tabanlı Stereo Ses Steganografisi

Öz

Bu çalışmada müzik teorisinin ve ses miksi tekniklerinin kullanıldığı yeni bir ses steganografisi algoritması geliştirilmiştir. Steganografi alanında insan duyma sisteminin hassaslığı nedeniyle kapak olarak ses dosyaları daha az tercih edilmektedir. Çünkü steganografide fark edilemezlik ilkesini sağlamak amacıyla genellikle veri gizleme kapasitesinden feragat edilir. Sunulan yöntem müzik teknolojilerinin ses steganografisinde kullanılmasının bir örneğini içerir. Özellikle ses mühendislerinin çoğu zaman kullandığı, sesin orta ve kenar bileşenlerin sinyal işleme araçlarıyla ayrı ayrı düzenlenmesi işlemi, ses steganografisine yeni bir bakış kazandırmaktadır. Kapak dosyasının tamamının kullanılması durumunda bile deneysel sonuçlar fark edilemezlik ilkesinin sağlandığını göstermektedir. Steganografideki diğer anahtar nokta olan sağlamlık konusunda ise geliştirilen yöntemin MP3 sıkıştırma algoritmasına bile dayanıklı olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Çalışmanın MATLAB kodlarına bu linkten ulaşılabilir: http://bit.ly/3R6uwZv

Anahtar Kelimeler

• ses steganografisi
• ses mühendisliği
• veri gizleme
• steganografi
• dijital damgalama

Etik Beyan

Bu makale, yazarların özgün çalışması olup, başka bir yerde yayımlanmamış veya değerlendirilmek üzere sunulmamıştır. Tüm ilgili etik kurallara uyulmuştur ve çalışmanın hiçbir kısmı etik dışı uygulamalar içermemektedir. Bu çalışmada kullanılan veriler, kamuya açık kaynaklardan elde edilmiş olup, gizlilik veya telif hakkı ihlali söz konusu değildir.

Teşekkür

Bu makale, International Conference on Cyber Security and Digital Forensics (ICONSEC’24) konferansında sunulan "Audio Steganography with Stereo Audio by Using Mid/Side Processing" başlıklı bildirinin güncellenmiş ve genişletilmiş bir versiyonudur. Değerli geri bildirimleri için konferans komitesine, makaleyi değerlendirecek hakemlere ve katkılarından dolayı Prof. Dr. Murat Gök’e teşekkür ederiz.

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