Abstract: The subject of research is the steganographic method of embedding information in digital images. Steganography is capable of hiding not only the content of information, but also the very fact of its existence. The paper considers one of the most important problems in the development of steganographic methods - the secrecy of the transfer of protected information. Stealth is not only visual or auditory indistinguishability of a digital media resource from a media resource with embedded information, but also statistical indistinguishability. Special attention is paid to preserving the spatial statistical dependence between the image pixels. The methodological basis of the research is the methods of mathematical statistics and image processing theory, as well as image distortion metrics. The novelty of the research lies in the development of a new method of embedding information in static images. The authors consider in detail the problem of applying the moving average autoregression process to represent the statistical dependence of image pixels. It is shown that the proposed method allows you to embed information into digital images without significant distortion.

Abstract: The research subject is the steganographic methods of information protection. There are two key ways to protect information – cryptographic and steganographic. Cryptographic methods conceal only the contents of the transmitted information. At that, the fact of transmission of the codified data can draw the attention of an intruder who can use the successful cryptographic attacks, aimed at the loss of confidentiality. Steganographic methods hide not only the contents of the information sent, but also the very fact of sending. Steganography and cryptography are complementary methods, which, used together, can significantly increase the safety of the transmitted data. Therefore, it is necessary to develop not only cryptographic, but also steganographic methods of data protection, which should be resistant to the detection of the process of sending. The research methodology contains the passive methods of analysis of detection of the information, embedded in the image, including statistical and visual methods. The novelty of the study consists in the development of the steganographic system of data protection on the base of the proposed original algorithm of embedding the information by the coverage of the image block in lines and columns. The authors demonstrate that this steganographic system maintains its resistance to passive steganoanalytic attacks when the blocks up to 24x24 pixels are covered, and with this coverage degree it is more resistant than the standard and the advanced steganographic methods based on the direct spectrum broadening. 

Abstract: The research subject is the steganographic methods of data protection, able to hide not only the contents of the transmitted information, but also the very fact of transmission. The authors consider an important problem of creation of steganographic systems of information protection – the high secrecy of information transmission, which is the most important characteristic of such systems. The secrecy is understood not only as a visual or sound indistinguishability of a digital media file from the media file with embedded information, but also the statistical indistinguishability. The research methodology is based on the objective metric of image distortion, including the generally accepted figure – peak signal to noise ratio. The scientific novelty of the study consists in the proposed method of increase of the hidden transmission of information using the minimal possible image distortion with its maximal filling with embedded data. The authors analyze the most widely used steganographic systems of information protection. The authors ascertain that the most promising method of steganography is the method of direct spectrum broadening, since it has particular advantages compared with other methods. The problem of a high level of secrecy of information transmission, connected with the unacceptably high level of a container distortion upon the hidden data embedding is solved using this method. Based on the peak signal to noise ratio, the authors study the distortion of digital images with hidden information, embedded using different methods. The proposed method demonstrates the best results.