Data hiding in intermediate significant bit planes, a high capacity blind steganographic technique

The availability of relatively inexpensive digital products coupled with the promise of higher bandwidth and quality of service (QoS) for both wired and wireless communication networks have made it possible to create, replicate, transmit, and distribute digital data without any loss in quality. In such a scenario steganography has received huge attention from the research community round the globe, as it has been found useful for information security and under cover communication. Stegnography refers to covert communication for transfer of confidential information over a communication channel. This paper presents a high capacity stegnographic technique in which secret data is embedded in Intermediate Significant Bit planes of the cover image. The data to be embedded is broken down in blocks of relatively decreasing lengths and each block is embedded in the cover media under control of a highly secure key. This work shows attractive results with respect to imperceptibility and capacity when compared with a few reported techniques in addition to providing adequate data security.