Evaluating the steganographic integrity of the phase coding method for concealing confidential information within audio files

Abstract

Despite advancements in encryption technology, the issue of covert data transmission remains relevant. Researchers are actively enhancing established methods of concealing information with software tools that utilize mathematical models and developing new data entry methods. Steganographic techniques can be used with cryptographic methods to enhance the confidentiality of information within a container or as a standalone software tool. This article examines the steganographic integrity of concealing confidential information within audio files. The steganographic technique was selected as the phase coding method, which involves substituting the audio element’s phase with the secret message’s relative phase. An implementation of the chosen method was developed for the experiment. During the experiment, secret data of varying lengths were used to assess the impact of the length of the concealed information on the distortion of the audio file that may be perceptible to the listener. The study also investigated the resilience of the concealed information to noise attacks, allowing for the determination of the threshold of its robustness. The findings provide insight into the reliability of this steganographic method for hiding classified information within media objects.

Keywords

• phase coding method
• steganography
• confidential information
• attack
• audio file