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Anti-Forgery based on N-Round Crypto- Steganographic Algorithms

September 2024

Authors:

Tarek Srour

Faculty of Technology and Education Helwan University

Mohsen El-bendary

Helwan University

Mostafa Eltokhy

Helwan University, faculty of Industrial education

Atef Elsayed Abouelazm

Menoufia University, Faculty of Electronic Engineering

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The paper proposes a robust crypto-steganography approach that secures the data without affecting it and efficient anti-forgery tool. The proposed approach consists of main three security levels with n-round sub-levels. The hybridization of crypto-chaos based tools with various data hiding tools is performed perfectly. The paper carried out several simulation experiments using multi dataset (Math work, Yolov8 and others) to evaluate the proposed scenarios and find integration of these techniques that provides the best security performance without affecting the data. The best simulation experiments that provided the best data security performance were the integration between 2D Logistic map, SVD, and Baker Map, respectively. The proposed steganography performs better than the recent published related works and compared with the deep learning based steganography. The proposed combined system provided the better simulation results for image security. The simulation results indicated a perfect match between the original message and the decryption original message after applying the system. The results also indicated that there was no effect on the data and no loss of data. As clarified in the results, the proposed hybridization approach can be considered a perfect tool to combat the forgery and tampering attacks on the classified data and immune the data transferring over the various networks. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International License.

Metrics of the image quality Multi level security system (2D Logistic map&SVD&2DBaker map)

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Metrics of hiding and showing the image BM&LSB&BM approach

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Metrics of hiding and showing the image BM&SVD&BM approach

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Figures - uploaded by Ali M. El-Rifaie

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Content uploaded by Ali M. El-Rifaie

Content may be subject to copyright.

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Volume 69, Issue 09, September, 2024

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Anti-Forgery based on N-Round Crypto-

Steganographic Algorithms

Tarek Srour1, Mohsen A. M. El-Bendary1, Mostafa A. R. Eltokhy1, Atef E. Abouelazm2, Ali M. El-Rifaie3*

Department of Electronics Technology, Faculty of Technology and Education, Helwan University, Cairo,

Egypt1

Department of Electronics and Electrical Communications, Faculty of Electronic Engineering, Menofia

University, Menouf, Egypt2

College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, Egaila 54200, Kuwait3

Corresponding Author: 3*

Keywords:

ABSTRACT

Hybridization, Security vision, Next

mobile generation, Encryption

techniques, Data hiding techniques,

Interactive security.

The paper proposes a robust crypto-steganography approach that secures

the data without affecting it and efficient anti-forgery tool. The proposed

approach consists of main three security levels with n-round sub-levels.

The hybridization of crypto-chaos based tools with various data hiding

tools is performed perfectly. The paper carried out several simulation

experiments using multi dataset (Math work, Yolov8 and others) to

evaluate the proposed scenarios and find integration of these techniques

that provides the best security performance without affecting the data. The

best simulation experiments that provided the best data security

performance were the integration between 2D Logistic map, SVD, and

Baker Map, respectively. The proposed steganography performs better

than the recent published related works and compared with the deep

learning based steganography. The proposed combined system provided

the better simulation results for image security. The simulation results

indicated a perfect match between the original message and the decryption

original message after applying the system. The results also indicated that

there was no effect on the data and no loss of data. As clarified in the

results, the proposed hybridization approach can be considered a perfect

tool to combat the forgery and tampering attacks on the classified data and

immune the data transferring over the various networks.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0

International License.

1. INTRODUCTION

In recent years, the world has been working on significant advancements in mobile wireless communication

networks and the security tools to meet the requirements and combating the various attacks [1]. We are

living in a continuous evolution of generations of mobile wireless communication, starting from 1G,

through 2G, 3G, and 4G, until the emergence of 5G of mobile wireless communication. The 5G networks

come with a lot of benefits, like higher transmission rates with lower latency, better system performance

and reliability, smaller terminal device size, and more energy-efficient device and network designs [1]. 5G

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networks are intended to facilitate a greater variety of applications, including real-time closed-loop robotic

control, large-scale Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR).

The five-generation (5G) system comprises three distinct technical features: ultra-reliable low-latency

communications (uRLLC), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and improved mobile

broadband (eMBB) [2], [3].

Despite the advantages provided by the fifth generation, it has many challenges that affect its performance

in various applications. A fully automated, intelligent network that offers everything as a service and a fully

immersive experience is not something that 5G networks will be able to provide. In 10 years, 5G

communication networks won't be able to meet the demands of newly emerging intelligent and automated

systems, despite their enormous advances over current systems [4]. On the other hand, due to the huge

advances of the different wireless networks and various application fields of these networks, the trusted and

robust security techniques must be developed continuously to meet the security requirements of these

critical applications of these networks [2- 4].

Therefore, many researchers are interested in proposing suggestions for enhancing the security algorithms

of the mobile wireless communications [5]. The high-level security must be provided for the transferred

data, given the expected immense amount of devices and data on the network, according to the vision of the

advanced wireless/mobile network [6]. With the variations of the wireless networks and its applications

which cover the military, civil and medical fields, new threats will be born and invented. To resist these

new threats, highly efficient security techniques must be utilized to guarantee the reliability and integrity

the data transferring over the open environment applications of these mobile/wireless networks [7], [8].

The artificial Intelligence (AI) based security based on Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL)

techniques has been proposed in several research papers such as in [9- 11] as a strong security solutions. AI

based techniques are essential to deal with emerging threats related to artificial intelligence attacks, such as

backdoor embedding and poisoning of training data in federated learning. Also, 5G network lack a global

standard to enhance security strategies in various scenarios to meet diverse security requirements while

reducing overall costs [12]. For example, when the remaining battery power of the device decreases, the

complexity of the security systems used must be adjusted to provide longer device operation time. With the

increasing heterogeneity, dynamics, and complexity in advanced wireless/, mobile networks, security must

be adaptively customizable for different services, power conditions, and other variable characteristics over

time [13]. These issues are considered in our presented research paper through a proposed security state-

diagram controls different security levels based on the available power, data classification and the surround

environment of communication [14].

In this paper, the high level of privacy has been considered through a proposed multi-level security

algorithm, it consists of integrating the encryption techniques and data hiding techniques. The proposed

hybrid security algorithm has been constructed through interfering the various security layers to achieve a

high level of privacy and confidentiality on the network. Additionally, the transition between these layers of

security can be controlled by the previous roles or automatically based on a simple AI model. The proposed

algorithm considers the essential dimension in the wireless networks applications, which is the consumed

power and the node-life-time, through the concept of Energy-Saving Security Algorithm (ESSA) on the

network as described in the following sections.

1.1 The main Contributions:-

In this presented research paper, developed interactive/expandable crypto-steganography security system

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has been proposed based on cryptographic techniques merged within multi-round of secret key utilizing

efficient chaos-system to combat the forgery.

- The different chaos-maps have been employed within N-Round-keys based on the expansion rules. The

data hiding technique is employed to hide the multi-round encrypting technique.

- The two chaos-based maps have been introduced, the chaos-based Baker Map (BM) is used due its

resistance of various noise and attacks, it is accept more round and merged Secret Keys (Sks) overlapping.

The Logistic chaos-Map (LM) is the second chaos tools is employed to encrypt the classified data due to its

high sensitive to noise and any tampering, it is employed to guarantee capturing any modifications or

attacks.

- The hybrid N-round crypto-steganography approach is evaluated using Math work, Yolov8 datasets,

standard and un-standards images. The proposed N-round crypto-data hiding approach has proven to better

than existing and recent published related works.

- The presented proposed robust crypto-Steganographic hybrid technique with the various N-round is an

advanced and robust variant of existing approaches and the recent published related works. The proposed

security approach is an improving of the classic security techniques due to the following reasons:-

- Interactivity:- Interactive security levels through choosing the number of rounds and number of

cryptographic tools based on the four essential conditions which are the Available Power 'battery level'

(AP), Open/Closed Environments (O/CE), Devices types Homogenous/Heterogonous (DTHH) and the

Secret Classifications Level (SCL) of transferred data.

- Better/robust security: Due to the multi-overlapping crypto process, the presented technique is robust

against the various attacks. The cascaded security processes are not reversible due to the sensitivity of

LCM.

- AI-based management capacities: Due to the variety of security layers and flexible number of round, hash

conditions and environment variations, the AI can be employed to manage the suitable levels and rounds

security based on the real-time conditions.

- Flexibility: The presented algorithm is flexible for choosing the N-round in the chaos BM stage and in the

DH process. The levels and layers of the proposed crypto-steganography security algorithm can be managed

and selected based on the four conditions as follows:-

Battery Level (Available Energy).

• The Transferred Data Secrecy Classification.

• The Environment of Communication.

• The Nature of Nodes (Heterogonous/Homogenous) Nodes.

• Type of Transferred Data "Text, scalar data, images, audio and etc."

-The perturbation/disturbance:- embedding process is executed on the N-Round chaos BM which produces

less disturbance in the cover image that increases the invisibility of the encrypted mark.

The rest of this paper is organized as follows: Section 2 presents the related work-literature review. Section

3 presents the utilized objective metrics of the proposed techniques. Section 4 describes the proposed anti-

forgery algorithm. Section 5 presents computer simulation experiments result discussion. Section 6 the final

conclusions are presented.

2. Literature Review

The era of 6G is still far away from commercial publication, which is expected to gradually begin in 2030.

In fact, there are no agreed-upon visions so far, regardless of the abundance of forums discussing ideas.

Among various sources of information, some data generally indicate that 6G will connect physical and

digital words and will serve as a platform to make the digital twin a tangible reality. The digital twin, in this

context, refers to the system's ability to digitally represent real-world objects in real-time approximation.6G

aims to integrate improved radio frequency communications with the physical, biological, and digital

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domains. This will enable the integration of various components, including robots, digital twins, artificial

intelligence, emotion-driven devices, brain-machine interfaces, and machines. A full experience of physical,

biological, and computer communication can be facilitated by this configuration [7].

The aim of 6G is to closely connect and improve the interactions between three worlds: the physical world

of items and organisms; the digital world of information, communication, and computing; and the human

world of our senses, bodies, intelligence, and human values. As a result, a cyber-physical continuum will be

created, enabling networks to be an effective instrument for raising our standard of living. Future networks

that facilitate the connection between the worlds must, however, be built with core values like

sustainability, reliability, and digital inclusiveness in mind. Figure 1 shows 6G vision linked worlds [8].

Figure 1 6G vision linked worlds

6G networks aims to achieve ultra-low latency, measured in microseconds, and very high data speeds, up to

1 Tbps. Furthermore, 6G offers more than 1000 times the capacity of 5G by combining THz frequency and

spatial multiplexing techniques.6G networks combine terrestrial, undersea, and space networks to provide

omnipresent and universal coverage [9], [10]. The aims of 6G networks are to achieve intelligent

communication, maximize data rates, minimize energy consumption, improve broadband connectivity and

coverage, strengthen communication security and reliability, boost link reliability, and lower latency. 6G

may be able to support data rates above 100 Gbps with end-to-end delays of less than 1 ms. additionally;

very high levels of communication reliability are anticipated with 6G. The ultra-low latency and ultra-high

reliability of 6G networks is expected to facilitate wireless communications. Extremely quick mobility is

another goal of upcoming 6G networks. 6G networks are expected to make use of ultra-high frequencies

and ultra-large scale MIMO systems in order to provide ultra-high-speed wireless data transmission. Figure

2 shows the expectations of 6G [11].

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Figure 2 the expectations of 6G.

To achieve this expected vision, 6G will utilize various modern technological techniques. In the following

sections, we will present some of these techniques and also present some applications that will be better

utilized and on a wider scale through the implementation of 6G network. Additionally, we will present

security predictions for 6G network. Many researchers have been interested in securing data on wireless

communication networks. Researchers use various techniques to secure data on the network. In this section,

we present a number of previous studies that propose scenarios for securing data on wireless networks,

including proposed scenarios for securing data on 6th generation networks.

In [63], the authors proposed a technique for data hiding relies on multi-dimensional features fusion to

protect privacy in 6G networks. The authors implemented preprocessing on the private data to encrypt it for

enhanced security. Then, they implemented multi-dimensional feature extraction on the carrier and merged

these features to get the final feature area. Finally, they carried out the step of hiding or extracting the

private data. In [64], Rather of relying on experimental technologies like block chain, quantum

communications, or artificial intelligence, the authors suggested using standard public key cryptography in

6G. The authors implemented so by using eSIM to save the cryptographic keys required for verification. In

[65], the authors proposed an eHealth system that integrates and supports security methods for the best

possible management of sensitive health data received by Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices. This

system includes technologies such as Device-to-Device (D2D) communications and multi-access edge

computing (MEC). For security, the authors suggested LiMAD, a lightweight mutual authentication steps

for D2D communications, suitable for the constrained nature of IoMT sensing devices and aimed at save the

data transferred in D2D communications in the direction of the CC nodes.

In [66], in the security proposal for 6G networks, the authors relied on traditional techniques for encrypting

data that ensure availability and privacy of big data. The authors relied on the searchable encryption

structure as a technique for encrypting data that provides availability and privacy of big data in their

proposal. The authors proposed a searchable encryption using cipher text-policy attribute- based encryption

to resolve the disagreement between security and data availability of the smart cities as a specific scenario

in order to show the contribution of cryptographic technologies such as public- key searchable encryption to

6G mobile communication technology. In [67], the authors proposed a new system based on block-chain.

This system is called “VSSE, ". This system is proposed for smart application systems based on 6G

networks. The system works to confrontation file injection attacks, ensuring data privacy. It also provides

verification capability based on the block-chain feature. The system only allows authorized users to access

files through access control feature. In [68], the authors proposed a new encryption system for medical

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images. This system relies on dividing the image into blocks. The split image is mixed using various

methods such as zigzag pattern, rotating, and random swapping. Afterwards, the image is encrypted using

logistic technique. In the end, the system provides a highly secure encrypted image. In [69], the authors

proposed a new encryption system for medical images. This system relies on DNA code, Hash Algorithm

SHA-2 and a new hybrid chaotic map. In the proposed system, encryption keys are generated from the

original image. The SHA-2 is used to generate one-time keys from both the original image and secret

fragmentation keys. This creates a relationship between the image and encryption keys, such that any minor

change in the pixels of the original image results in completely different encryption keys. Chaotic hybrid

map is used to shuffle the pixels of the image to implement the diffusion process. The DNA XOR is used to

mix pixel values during the confusion process. Afterward, the resulting distorted image is encrypted,

resulting in a highly secure encrypted image. In [70], the authors proposed a system for protecting medical

images that relies on data hiding techniques. The authors utilize IWT and SVD techniques to protect

medical images. The authors presented this system to enhance privacy on patients' medical images.

In [71], the authors proposed a system image watermarking using DWT and SVD. This system divides the

cover image and merges it with the watermark image. The watermarked image is sent over the

communication channel. At receiver, the merging between the cover image and the watermark image is

decrypted. The watermark image is compared with the original watermark image, and if there is a match, it

indicates that the image was not subjected to any attacks during transmission over the communication

channel. In [72], the authors presented a comparison between the performance of LSB and DWT as image

hiding techniques. The authors proposed a system hides two secret images in a single cover. The system

was implemented using LSB technique and then re-implemented using DWT technique. Then, the

performance of both techniques was compared to determine the efficiency of each in hiding data with a high

degree of security. In [73], the authors presented a security system to protect voice messages during

transmission over the network. The system is a combination of three different techniques: chaotic,

watermarking, and Arnold. The protection of voice messages in this system is done in three stages as

follows: the first stage is embedding the watermark inside the voice message to verify that it is not

susceptible to any attacks during transmission. The second stage is encrypting the message using chaotic

encryption. The third stage is adding an encryption key to the encrypted message using the Arnold

technique. Thus, the voice message is secured with three different encryption techniques, which makes it

highly secure. In [74], the author proposed a security system for color images that relies on two techniques:

data hiding and data encryption. The system uses a three-dimensional chaotic system for data encryption,

while it uses Lah Transformation for data hiding. The original image is encrypted using the chaotic system

to become an encrypted image. The encrypted image is then hidden within the cover image using Lah

Transformation, resulting in a stego image. The stego image is sent to the receiver. At receiver, the

encrypted image is extracted and decrypted to obtain the original image once again.

3. The Utilized Objective Metrics

In this section, the utilized metrics which are used for evaluating the robustness and reliability of the

contents protections are presented. The performance evaluating of the presented algorithm depends on

number of factors, the invisibility, high detection sensitivity, extracted image quality and decrypted image

quality.

Forgery protections are covered in the simulation experiments through applying the verification process in

presence different attacks. Also, the robustness of the classified images over the wireless noisy channel

experiments have been executed [42]. The most important factor is the quality of the output images of the

algorithm in the two stages, the encrypting/embedding/encrypting stage and the

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decrypting/extracting/decrypting stage. The algorithm is applicable and reliable if the processed images

quality is high and accepted. There many metrics tools are employed for measuring the similarities of

original image and extracted/decrypted image. Also, the efficiency of the presented crypto-stego algorithm

is evaluated through evaluating the classified image quality. The used metrics is described as follows:

a. Correlation (Cr):

It is one of the best metrics to evaluate the degree of closeness between the two functions. This metric can

be used to determine the extent to which two images are close to each other.

Cr= Corr(F(x, y), f(X, Y)

So, it gives a direct measure of the proposed algorithm efficiency. The most efficient algorithms produce

images with correlation ratios closer to unity [43].

b. Mean square error (MSE):

MSE is one of the most important image quality evaluation metrics, and it can be defined as the average of

the squares of the difference between the intensities of two examined images. It can be mathematically

represented as,

Where f (i, j) is the original image and f’(i, j) is the marked image. Higher values of MSE mean that the

image is of poor quality [35].

c. Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR):

The PSNR can be formulated mathematically as,

A higher value of PSNR is better [17].

4. Promising Security Features

As mentioned in the related research papers which presented a expected vision of the 6G security is

expected to transfer a massive amount of data in a short time. Also, it will be used in many different

applications. According to this vision, 6G network requires a very high level of security. Therefore, a large

number of researchers are concerned about the security of 6G network. There are many proposals and

visions for the security of 6G network. The vision of 6G networks is shaped by many new developments

and advancements in terms of architecture, applications, technologies, policies, and standardization. Similar

to the general vision of 6G, which includes additional intelligence on top of cloud-based and programmable

5G networks, the security vision of 6G also benefits from close integration with artificial intelligence,

leading to security automation [26]. In [27] vision of 6G security, it is based on the integration of enabling

factors for security technology in the fields of cyber resilience, privacy, trust, and its intersection. The

vision emphasizes the need to expand the scope of cyber resilience technologies, such as automated

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software development, automated software assurance, closed-loop security operations, secure quantum

physical layer encryption, and privacy-preserving techniques for jamming protection. Additionally, trust-

building techniques such as secure waste disposal, integrated cloud trust anchors, and distributed ledger are

required to achieve the ultimate goal of trustworthiness for 6G network. In [28] Physical Layer Security

(PLS) techniques might be essential for 6G. PLS acts as a first line of defense and offers physical security,

making it more difficult for attackers to carry out their attacks. It uses special wireless channel properties to

offer secrecy without presuming that the adversary node has restricted processing capability. When it comes

to network security in the era of quantum computing and artificial intelligence, it's critical to avoid making

erroneous assumptions about potential attackers [29].

This paper will focus on security for meeting the vision 6G network. We will present our vision for one of

the security systems that can be used in the 6G network. One of the challenges for 6G network is power

consumption. 6G network must have multiple different security systems that can be used as needed. 6G

network must be an adaptive system. In this light, we present our vision for one of the security systems that

can be used in the network as needed. In this paper, we propose a multi-level security system that provides a

high level of security for data on the network. In the third section, we will present a review of security and

the techniques used for security. In the fourth section, we will present our vision for security through the

multi-level security system.

5. Anti-Forgery Algorithm Composition

Data security is a technique related to protecting data from intentional or unintentional manipulation,

destruction, disclosure, and loss of data [30]. The data security concept is mainly built upon three basics

which are confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA). Confidentiality aims to assure data privacy,

which means that only the authorized user can read the data. Data integrity is mainly related to the

assurance that the information has not been modified in transmission, from origin to reception. Availability

is defined as the assurance that information is available for authorized users at any time. The various

existing security techniques focus on the data protection and data contents integrity verification. The forged

image detection algorithms are method for detecting the tampering and unauthorized manipulation attacks,

these algorithm are called data contents integrity verification tools [31]. The security system is divided into

cryptography techniques and data hiding techniques. When using cryptography, real data is first

transformed into an unintelligible form before being shared over open networks. Algorithms for image

encryption are the most crucial methods of image protection. When using data hiding, real data is embedded

in cover media such as digital images, audio signals, or video clips to conceal its existence. Therefore, data

hiding achieves the concealment of data in a way that only the intended recipient can recognize its presence

[32].

5.1 Cryptography Techniques

Cryptography keeps data stored on the network from unauthorized access. It is extremely important to

securely transmit data. Cryptography is an efficient technique utilized to store and sends data in a secure

format, allowing only the intended user to access and process the data [33]. In cryptography, encryption is

defined as the process of converting valuable data into an unrecognizable form to protect it from

unauthorized access [34]. Data encryption techniques are commonly utilized by all cryptographic

techniques to send data on an insecure network [35]. Data encryption techniques are divided into two main

types, symmetric encryption and asymmetric encryption [36].The systematic encryption is a data encryption

system that encrypts data at the sender using an encryption key. At the receiver, the data is decrypted using

the same encryption key used at the sender, meaning that encryption and decryption are done with the same

encryption key. Systematic encryption is a data encryption system that encrypts data at the sender using an

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encryption key called the public key. The data is then decrypted at the receiver using another encryption

key called the private key. Encryption and decryption are performed using different encryption keys [37].

These main techniques are divided into many different encryption techniques, including data encryption

standard (DES), advanced encryption standard (AES), Blowfish, Digital Signature Algorithm, rivest–

shamir–adleman (RSA), elliptic curve, DNA,miscellaneous, chaotic, and so on [38], [39]. In this paper, we

will rely on chaotic encryption technique.

Since chaos was initially employed in data encryption techniques, it has proven to be one of the most

efficient cryptographic sources. Chaos is a quasi-random and unpredictable movement that appears in a

deterministic dynamic system due to its sensitivity to initial values and parameters. The chaotic system is a

highly complex and dynamic system, characterized by sensitivity to initial conditions, non-linearity, non-

periodicity, and so on. Chaotic systems are divided into two main types, discrete chaotic maps and

continuous chaotic systems. These main techniques are divided into many different encryption techniques,

including logistic map, baker map, tent map, henon map, arnold cat map, coupled map lattice, Lorenz map

and so on [40- 42]. In the following, we will discuss two types: logistics map and Baker map. This paper

will use these two types in the proposed vision of securing 6G.

a. 2D Chaos Baker Map (BM) Based (Multi-Round)

The Baker map is defined as two dimensional chaotic map that transforms a square matrix into itself after

operations similar to randomization. The Baker map can be considered an efficient tool to randomize a

square matrix of data [31]. The Baker map is described mathematically as shown in the following equation

[43], [44].

B(x, y) = (2x, y∕2), 0≤ x < 1∕2

B(x, y) = (2x − 1, y∕2 + 1∕2), 1∕2 ≤ x < 1

Figure 3 shows the generalized operation of the baker map. According to the previous equations, the baker

map divides the data, then changes the positions of the data and arranges it differently from its original

arrangement.

Figure 3 the generalized operation of the baker map

The discredited map can be represented for an M * M matrix as shown in Figure 4, that represents a 2D

chaotic encryption of an 8 * 8 matrix. Figure 4 shows the mechanism of the 2D chaotic Baker map

operation. Also, the figure gives an example on an 8 * 8 matrix. It gives the original and encrypted versions

of the matrix as shown in Figure 4. The dependency of Baker map encryption on the stretch-and-fold

concept. This means that the plain image is randomly distributed in the encrypted image [31], [45].

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Figure 4 2D chaotic encryption of an 8 * 8 matrix.

b. 2D Chaos Logistic Map (LM)

The 2D logistic map is a discrete dynamic system in which the evolution of orbits and attractors

demonstrates chaotic behavior. The behavior of 2D logistic is more complex than that of 1D logistic

behavior [46]. Several cryptographic features, such as the wider range of parameters for chaotic behaviors

and the fewer periodic windows in bifurcation diagrams, are present in 2D logistic maps. With its great

sensitivity to initial parameters, uncomplicated expression, quick computation speed, and good chaotic

property, 2D logistics has many applications [47]. Due to the 2D structure of image data, secure images

must be created using an efficient chaos generating technique. The implementation of a two-dimensional

logistic map satisfies these criteria. With basins and attractor features, a 2D logistic map generates chaotic

behaviors. The logistic map produces more complicated random number patterns [48].

The 2D logistic map is described mathematically as shown in the following equation.

xi+1 = r(3yi + 1)xi (1 − xi )

yi+1 = r(3xi+1 + 1)yi (1 − yi )

(xi, yi ) is the point at the ith iteration. Further, (xi, yi) and r are the initial values and the system parameter

of this map. Previous equation defining the 2D logistic map is complicated and the complex dynamical

system. Figure 5 shows dynamic behavior of 2D logistic map [49], [50].

Figure 5 Dynamic behavior of 2D logistic map

5.2 Data Hiding -Steganography Tools

Data hiding is the process of hiding data within the digital medium [51]. The digital medium can be

classified into various types, such as text, image, audio, and video, and it is referred to as the cover for

secret data. Data hiding techniques are widely used to ensure copyright protection, communication security,

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data integrity, confidentiality, non-repudiation, and authentication and so on [52]. Data hiding techniques

can be divided into two types: steganography and watermarking [53]. Steganography hides secret data in a

public file to prevent visual detection. Steganography is technique of encrypting messages into other media

assets [54]. Steganography can be divided into two types: spatial-domain and frequency-domain. The

spatial domain-based data hiding techniques embed the secret data by modifying the pixel values directly

using the techniques least significant bit (LSB) and most significant bit (MSB). The frequency domain-

based data hiding techniques first transforms the original image into frequency coefficients, and then the

secret data is embedded into the transformed frequency coefficients. Transformations that are commonly

used include discrete cosine transform (DCT), discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and singular value

decomposition (SVD) [55], [56]. This paper will use LSB and SVD as data hiding techniques in the

proposed vision of securing 6G. The three primary components of the watermarking technique are the

watermark detector, distortion channel, and watermark encoder. Using a secret key, the watermark encoder

embeds the watermark into the original message. It sends through a distortion channel, which causes to

various attacks, producing a deformed watermarked image. The watermark detector then extracts the

watermark by using the appropriate key [57], [58].

a. Least Significant Bit (LSB)

The most famous method of data hiding techniques is LSB method, where LSB refers to the last bit or the

far right bit in a binary number. LSB works by replacing LSB of a cover message with the data of the

original message intended to be hidden. This technique is characterized by speed and simplicity [59], [60].

b. Singular-value decomposition (SVD)

SVD is one of them and is used in many frequency transform-based image watermarking schemes due to

its stability and mathematical simplicity [61]. Applications of image processing that use SVD include

picture compression, image concealing, and noise reduction. Finding the features in a matrix that can help

solve a particular problem is frequently exceedingly challenging. A useful technique is to draw attention to

the matrix's attributes and factorize it into a series of smaller matrices having more definite qualities. Then,

the hidden message is separated and added to single vectors. Attacks that directly analyze images are

resisted by this method [62].

5.3 The Anti-Forgery Approach

Due to the different environments in which 6G network will be used, 6G network faces many challenges.

One of the most important challenges is the security of 6G network. 6G network will be used in various

applications and will transmit a huge amount of data. Therefore, 6G network needs to provide a high level

of security for the data transmitted over the network. We present a proposal vision for the security system

on 6G network. Our proposed vision relies on some traditional methods of securing data on communication

networks. Traditional security methods will be the appropriate alternative to modern proposed methods for

6G network, such as Quantum Communication, block chain and so on technologies. Traditional methods

will be suitable for various applications such as healthcare, monitoring, and so on. Additionally, traditional

data security methods may be the appropriate solution to overcome one of the challenges faced by the sixth-

generation network, which is energy consumption. Therefore, we present our vision based on traditional

methods for securing data.

Our vision for the security of 6G relies on data encryption techniques and data hiding techniques. Our

vision proposes an adaptive system for the security of 6G network. The proposed security system is divided

into one level of security and multi- levels of security. Our vision relies on the possibility of alternating

between security levels based on the network application and the energy consumption levels within the

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network. If the data of the application being used does not require a high level of security, the system uses

one level of security. This level can be either data hiding techniques only or data encryption techniques

only. However, if the data of the application requires a high level of security, the system uses multi-levels

of security. Multi-levels of security can be either two levels or three levels of security, and the selection

between them is based on the importance of the data and the energy consumption on the network. Two-

level security system is a combination of data encryption techniques and data hiding techniques. The data

transmitted over the network passes through data encryption technique then through data hiding technique

to become a message secured with two levels of security. As for the three-level security system, it is a

combination of two different data encryption techniques with data hiding techniques. The data transmitted

over the network passes through data encryption technology, then through data hiding technology, and then

through another data encryption technology to become a message secured with three levels of security. In

our approach, we rely on steganography technique for data hiding, represented by LSB and SVD

techniques, while we rely on chaotic encryption techniques for data encryption, represented by the 2D

Baker map and 2D Logistic map. Figure 6 illustrates our proposed vision for the security of 6G network.

Figure 6 The Crypto-Steganography Block diagram with respect to Multi-Round for Anti-forgery.

5.4 Methodology of the Proposed Approach

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In this section, we present one of the proposed multi-level security systems in our vision for the security of

6G network. The proposed security system consists of three levels of data security. The security system

suggests that the levels consist of two levels of data encryption techniques and one level of data hiding

techniques, so that the original message passes through three levels of security. We present this proposal to

provide a high level of security for data transmission over 6G network.

Figure 7 shows the components of a multi-level security system and demonstrates the steps of processing

the original message within the system. The multi-level system works by encrypting the original message

using one of encryption technique as a first stage, then hiding the original message within another message

using one of data hiding techniques as a second stage, and then encrypting the message again using one of

encryption technique as a third stage. As a result, the original message passes through three levels of

security, achieving a high level of security for the message on the network.

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Figure 7 Crytpo-steganography methodologies. A. Cryto/embedding/Crypto, B.

Decrypto./Extracting/Decrypto.

6. Computer Simulation Result Discussion

In this section, we present a collection of various simulation experiments through which we illustrate the

best performance of a multi-level security system. Simulation experiments demonstrate the results of

combining different data hiding techniques and various data encryption techniques. The simulation

experiments were implemented using LSB and SVD techniques as data hiding techniques, while 2D Baker

Map and 2D-Logistic Map techniques were used as data encryption techniques. These techniques were

combined in different arrangements to determine the best proposed performance of a multi-level security

system that combines data hiding techniques and data encryption techniques. Simulation tests were run

using Windows 2017 and MATLAB version 2014.

The simulation experiments were implemented on a set of different images, both in terms of size and black-

and-white colors. The results of the simulation experiments will demonstrate the best performance of the

multi-level security system through the use of a variety of image quality measurement tools. The images

utilized in the computer simulation experiments are displayed in Figure 8.

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Figure 8 the utilized image in the computer simulation experiments

6.1 Preliminaries of Suitability Experiments: Algorithms Evaluations

In this section, the multi experiments have been executed to test the matching and suitability of the crypto

techniques and data hiding-steganography tools as a prelude of the proposed robust anti-forgery image

approach.

Table 1 Samples of results the crypto-chaos based on BM and LM techniques.

Verified image

LM only

Metrics

Value

Verified image

BM only

Metrics

Value

Round N=1 Chaos based Encryption

Cr = 1

PSNR = 99

MSE = 0

SSIM = 1

Cr = 1

PSNR =

MSE = 0

SSIM = 1

Cr = 1

PSNR = 99

MSE = 0

SSIM = 1

Cr = 1

PSNR =

MSE = 0

SSIM = 1

Cr = 1

PSNR = 99

MSE = 0

SSIM = 1

Cr = 1

PSNR =

MSE = 0

SSIM = 1

As clarified form the several performed experiments, the BM based encryption-SVD-BM gives better

results for the noisy environments. While the LM based crypto-tool is highly sensitive towards littlie

amount of noise. The LM-crypto tool is sufficient for the last stages only. In the following the results as

tabulated in Tables 1-2.

Table 2 Samples of results the DH-steganography process

Verified image

LSB

Metrics Value

Verified image

SVD

Metrics Value

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Cr = 0.9959

PSNR = 29.4970

MSE = 73.5834

SSIM = 0.8660

Cr = 1

PSNR = 99

MSE = 0

SSIM = 1

Cr = 0.9979

PSNR = 35.3785

MSE = 75.9791

SSIM = 0.9118

Cr = 1

PSNR = 99

MSE = 0

SSIM = 1

Cr = 0.9976

PSNR = 41.1877

MSE = 79.7688

SSIM = 0.9616

Cr = 1

PSNR = 99

MSE = 0

SSIM = 1

The following experiments have been devoted to test and examine the successful combination and

hybridization to composite the robust crypto-steganography security technique. This approach provides

robust and reliable tool works as anti-forgery classified images.

6.2 Crypto-Steganography: Chaos-LM&DH-LSB & N-Round Chaos-BM Scenario

In this section, we discuss simulation experiments for using merge between 2D Logistic map, LSB and2D

baker map techniques as a multi-level security system. The simulations demonstrate the robustness and

reliability of multi-level security system in data security and its impact on the secured data. The simulations

also determine whether multi-level security system causes any loss of data. To ensure the quality and

robustness of the simulation results, these experiments were implemented on a set of different images with

varying sizes (256*256 – 512*512 - 1024*1024) to verify the credibility of the simulation results.

Figure 9 shows the results of simulation experiments on a sample of images of size 256*256 using multi-

level security system. Simulation experiments were carried out on two images, one of images was used as a

cover message, while the other image was used as the original message. By applying the multi-level

security system, the original message was encrypted using the 2D Logistic map encryption technique,

which is the first stage of the security system. The encrypted original message was hidden inside a cover

message using the LSB, which is the second stage of the security system. The stego message was encrypted

using the2D baker map encryption technique, which is the third stage of the security system. After applying

the three stages, we have a multi-level secure message called the encrypted stego message. To decrypt the

secure message, the multi-level security system is reversed from the third stage to the first stage. The

encrypted stego message is decrypted using 2D baker map decryption to decrypted stego message, then the

decrypted stego message is decrypted using LSB decryption to the extracted stego message and finally, the

extracted stego message is decrypted using 2D Logistic decryption to the decrypted original message.

Through the application of a set of image quality tools, a comparison was made between the original

message and the decryption original message that represents the original message. These comparisons were

made to determine the effect of multi-level security system on secured data. And determine its reliability

and robustness to secured data. Figure 9 shows the differences between some of images, as well as matches

in some of the other images before and after applying the multi-level security system. The differences

appear between the cover message and the stego message, as well as between the original message and the

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decryption original message. However, the match appears between the stego message and decryption stego

message as well as between the encrypted original message and the extracted stego message. This indicates

that 2D baker map encryption technique did not affect the messages, while the effect was due to the use of

2D Logistic technique as a first stage and LSB technique as a second stage in the system. This arrangement

led to an incompatibility within the system that caused the original message to be lost. These differences

and matches appeared in the results of the image quality tools, which are shown in Table 3.

A B C D

E F G H

Figure 9 the standard image of matlab using Multi-level security system (2D Logistic map &LSB&2D

Baker map) technique, A Original message, B Encrypted original message, C cover message, Dstego

message, E Encrypted stego message, F decrypted stego message, G extracted stego message, H decrypted

original message.

Figure 10 shows the histograms of the images shown in Figure 9. The histogram of the images indicates

mismatches between some of images, as well as matches in some of the other images. We observe a

mismatch between the histogram of the cover message and the histogram of the stego message, as well as a

mismatch between the histogram of the original message and the histogram of the decryption original

message. Also we observe a match between the histogram of the stego message, the histogram of the

encryption stego message and the histogram of the decryption stego message. This indicates 2D baker map

encryption technique did not affect the messages, while the effect was due to the use of 2D Logistic

technique as a first stage and LSB technique as a second stage in the system. This arrangement led to an

incompatibility within the system that caused the original message to be lost. These differences demonstrate

the impact of multi- level security system on the messages. Therefore, this system in this way is not suitable

for securing data.

Simulation experiments were carried out again on a different set of images of size 256 * 256. The results of

the simulation experiments for these different images agreed with the previous results for the images of size

256 * 256. The results indicated mismatches between some of images, as well as matches in some of the

other images before and after applying the multi-level security system, as shown in Figure 11.

A B C D

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E F G H

Figure 10 Histogram of the various image using Multi-level security system (2DLogistic map&LSB & 2D

Baker map) technique, A. Histogram of original message, B. Histogram of encrypted original message, C.

Histogram of cover message, D. Histogram of stego message, E. Histogram of Encrypted stego message, F.

Histogram of decrypted stego message, G. Histogram of extracted stego message, H. Histogram of

decrypted original message.

This was confirmed by the histogram forms of the images as shown in Figure 12. The results of the image

quality measurement tools also confirmed the compatibility between the results for different images of the

same size, which are shown in Table 3.

A B C D

E F G H

Figure 11 the image sample of the original and decryption image using Multi-level security system (2D

Logistic map &LSB&2DBaker map) technique, A Original message, B Encrypted original message, C

cover message, Dstego message, E Encrypted stego message, F decrypted stego message, G extracted stego

message, H decrypted original message.

A B C D

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E F G H

Figure 12 Histogram of the various image using Multi-level security system (2D Logistic

map&LSB&2DBaker map) technique, A. Histogram of original message, B. Histogram of encrypted

original message, C. Histogram of cover message, D. Histogram of stego message, E. Histogram of

Encrypted stego message, F. Histogram of decrypted stego message, G. Histogram of extracted stego

message, H. Histogram of decrypted original message.

Simulation experiments were carried out again on a different set of images with sizes 512 * 512 and 1024 *

1024 using multi-level security system. Simulation experiments were carried out on different sizes to

determine the effect of multi-level security system on large amounts of data. The simulation results

indicated no significant effect due to the different size of the images. However, the results indicate the same

minor differences that appeared with the results of the images of size 256 * 256. Consequently, there is a

mismatch between the original message and the decryption original message, due to the application of

multi-level security system on them. These results are shown in Figures 13 and 14, as well as Table 3, for

images of size 512 * 512. However, Figures 15 and 16, as well as Table 3, show results for images of size

1024 * 1024.

A B C D

E F G H

Figure 13 the image sample of the original and decryption image using Multi-level security system (2D

Logistic map&LSB&2DBaker map) technique, A Original message, B Encrypted original message, C cover

message, Dstego message, E Encrypted stego message, F decrypted stego message, G extracted stego

message, H decrypted original message.

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A B C D

E F G H

Figure 14 Histogram of the various image using Multi-level security system (2D Logistic

map&LSB&2DBaker map) technique, A. Histogram of original message, B. Histogram of encrypted

original message, C. Histogram of cover message, D. Histogram of stego message, E. Histogram of

Encrypted stego message, F. Histogram of decrypted stego message, G. Histogram of extracted stego

message, H. Histogram of decrypted original message.

A B C D

E F G H

Figure 15 the image sample of the original and decryption image using Multi-level security system (2D

Logistic map&LSB&2DBaker map) technique, A Original message, B Encrypted original message, C cover

message, Dstego message, E Encrypted stego message, F decrypted stego message, G extracted stego

message, H decrypted original message.

A B C D

E F G H

Figure 16 Histogram of the various image using Multi-level security system (2D Logistic

map&LSB&2DBaker map) technique, A. Histogram of original message, B. Histogram of encrypted

original message, C. Histogram of cover message, D. Histogram of stego message, E. Histogram of

Encrypted stego message, F. Histogram of decrypted stego message, G. Histogram of extracted stego

message, H. Histogram of decrypted original message.

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Table 3 shows the results of simulation experiments that were carried out on a set of different images using

Multi-level security system (2D Logistic map&LSB&2D Baker map) technique. The table shows the results

of the image quality measurement tools used in the simulation experiments. The results indicate the

presence of mismatch between the original message and decryption original message. Therefore, the results

indicates that baker map encryption technique did not affect the messages, while the effect was due to the

use of 2D Logistic technique as a first stage and LSB technique as a second stage in the system. This

arrangement led to an incompatibility within the system that caused the original message to be lost. These

differences demonstrate the impact of multi- level security system on the messages. Therefore, this system

in this way is not suitable for securing data.

Table 3 Metrics of the image quality Multi level security system (2DLogistic map&LSB&2DBaker map)

Image quality

metrics

256-A

256-B

256-C

512-A

512-B

512-C

1024-A

1024-B

1024-C

Corr original

message and

decryption message

-0.0011

0.00009

-0.0011

-0.0024

-0.0005

0.0011

0.0019

0.0008

-0.0001

PSNR

10.1756

7.7565

8.8598

13.9558

14.1425

13.9546

20.0865

19.6545

20.6185

MSE

6.2939

10.9858

8.5213

10.5429

10.0993

10.5458

10.2789

11.3541

9.0938

SSIM original

message and

decryption message

0.0105

0.0077

0.0097

0.0347

0.0270

0.0300

0.0913

0.0809

0.0779

Figure 17 shows the results of correlation coefficient (Corr) and Structural Similarity Index Metric (SSIM)

between the original message image and the decryption original message image. In Figure 17, the curves

show that the values of Corr and SSIM are less than 1, it indicates differences between the original message

images and the decryption original message images. The difference between the images is due to the multi-

level security system. This difference between images is due to the use of 2D Logistic technique as a first

stage and LSB technique as a second stage in the system. This arrangement led to an incompatibility within

the system that caused the original message to be lost. We observed from the curves that the difference

value is not stable on the images used in the simulation experiments. This is due variations in the contrast

levels of the different black and white pixels in each image. The curves also show that the difference in

image size did not have an effect on the mismatch between the images. This system in this way is not

suitable for securing data.

Figure 17 the result of Corr& SSIM between original message & extracted message

image

256- A

image

256- B

image

256- C

image

512- A

image

512- B

image

512-C

image

1024- A

image

1024- B

image

1024-C

Corr -0.0011 9E-05 -0.0011 -0.0024 -0.0005 0.0011 0.0019 0.0008 -0.0001

SSIM 0.0105 0.0077 0.0097 0.0347 0.027 0.03 0.0913 0.0809 0.0779

-0.02

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.1

image quality metrics

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6.3 Crypto-Steganography: Chaos-LM&DH-SVD & N-Round Chaos BM Scenario

In this section, we discuss simulation experiments for using merge between 2D Logistic map, SVD and 2D

baker map techniques as a multi-level security system. The simulations demonstrate the robustness and

reliability of multi-level security system in data security and its impact on the secured data. The simulations

also determine whether multi-level security system causes any loss of data. To ensure the quality and

robustness of the simulation results, these experiments were implemented on a set of different images with

varying sizes (256*256 – 512*512 - 1024*1024) to verify the credibility of the simulation results.

Figure 18 shows the results of simulation experiments on a sample of images of size 256*256 using multi-

level security system. Simulation experiments were carried out on two images, one of images was used as a

cover message, while the other image was used as the original message. By applying the multi-level

security system, the original message was encrypted using the 2D Logistic map encryption technique,

which is the first stage of the security system. The encrypted original message was hidden inside a cover

message using SVD, which is the second stage of the security system. The watermarked message was

encrypted usingthe2D baker map encryption technique, which is the third stage of the security system. After

applying the three stages, we have a multi-level secure message called the encrypted watermarked message.

To decrypt the secure message, the multi-level security system is reversed from the third stage to the first

stage. The encrypted watermarked message is decrypted using 2D baker map decryption to decrypted

watermarked message, then the decrypted watermarked message is decrypted using SVD decryption to the

extracted watermarked message and finally, the extracted watermarked message is decrypted using 2D

Logistic decryption to the decrypted original message. Through the application of a set of image quality

tools, a comparison was made between the original message and the decryption original message that

represents the original message. These comparisons were made to determine the effect of multi-level

security system on secured data. And determine its reliability and robustness to secured data. Figure 18

shows the match between images before and after applying the multi-level security system. The match

appears between the original message and the decryption original message, as well as between the

encrypted original message and extracted watermarked message, as well as between the cover message,

watermarked message and decrypted watermarked message. This indicates that encryption techniques and

SVD did not affect the messages. These match appeared in the results of the image quality tools, which are

shown in Table 4.

A B C D

E F G H

Figure 18 the standard image of matlab using Multi-level security system (2D Logistic map

&SVD&2DBaker map) technique, A Original message, B Encrypted original message, C cover message, D

watermarked message, E Encrypted watermarked message, F decrypted watermarked message, G extracted

watermarked message, H decrypted original message.

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Figure 19 shows the histograms of the images shown in Figure 18. The histogram of the images indicates

match between images. We observe a match between the histogram of the original message and the

histogram of the decryption original message, as well as a match between the histogram of the encryption

original message and the histogram of the extracted watermarked message. Also we observe a match

between the histogram of the cover message, the histogram of the watermarked message and decryption

watermarked message. This indicates that encryption techniques and SVD did not affect the messages.

These matches demonstrate the robustness and reliability of multi- level security system on the secure

messages. Therefore, this system in this way is the best performance to secure data.

A B C D

E F G H

Figure 19 Histogram of the various image using Multi-level security system (2D Logistic map

&SVD&2DBaker map) technique, A. Histogram of original message, B. Histogram of encrypted original

message, C. Histogram of cover message, D. Histogram of watermarked message, E. Histogram of

Encrypted watermarked message, F. Histogram of decrypted watermarked message, G. Histogram of

extracted watermarked message, H. Histogram of decrypted original message.

Simulation experiments were carried out again on a different set of images of size 256 * 256. The results of

the simulation experiments for these different images agreed with the previous results for the images of size

256 * 256. The results indicated matches between images before and after applying the multi-level security

system, as shown in Figure 20. This was confirmed by the histogram forms of the images as shown in

Figure 21. The results of the image quality measurement tools also confirmed the compatibility between the

results for different images of the same size, which are shown in Table 4.

A B C D

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E F G H

Figure 20 the image sample of the original and decryption image using Multi-level security system (2D

Logistic map &SVD&2DBaker map) technique, A Original message, B Encrypted original message, C

cover message, D watermarked message, E Encrypted watermarked message, F decrypted watermarked

message, G extracted watermarked message, H decrypted original message.

A B C D

E F G H

Figure 21 Histogram of the various image using Multi-level security system (2D Logistic map