Development of Two-Stage Steganography Method

In the contemporary digital era, ensuring robust data security remains a critical challenge. Consequently, steganography, the practice of covertly embedding information, has attracted significant research interest. Steganography leverages modern technological advancements, including data compression techniques, information theory, cryptography, and spread spectrum technologies, to conceal sensitive information within various digital media, such as images, text documents, audio, and video files. This paper presents a novel two-stage text steganography approach utilizing the Least Significant Bit (LSB) method, specifically tailored for embedding confidential data within text documents. Initially, secret information is encoded into a DOCX document by subtly altering the color attributes of text characters, exploiting the minimal perceptibility of color changes by the human eye. Recognizing vulnerabilities inherent in the DOCX format structure, the second stage involves embedding this modified DOCX file within a PDF document, thereby enhancing concealment security through structural complexity. The proposed method significantly improves the robustness and imperceptibility of concealed information, effectively safeguarding it from unauthorized extraction attempts.