Enhanced Data Hiding Based on First, Middle, and Last Order Pixel in Spatial Domain Images

The rapid advancement of Internet technology has revolutionized global information sharing, enabling faster and more efficient digital communication. However, the increased reliance on online platforms for exchanging sensitive information raises significant concerns about data security, as unauthorized access and misuse of transmitted data pose severe risks, including identity theft and financial fraud. Steganography has emerged as a promising technique for securing data by embedding it imperceptibly into digital media. This study introduces a novel steganographic method that utilizes the difference between pixels in the cover image to embed secret messages while maintaining high image quality. The proposed scheme divides image pixels into blocks of 9. It calculates the difference between pixels with each block's first, middle, or last pixel to ensure minimal distortion and superior visual quality post-embedding. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of the method, achieving consistently higher PSNR (Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio) values compared to a baseline approach, with a PSNR of 64.9205 dB for a 10 KB payload and similarly superior results for payloads of 20 KB and 40 KB.