Fractal steganography using artificially generated images

There exist a variety of fractal-based data hiding methods in an image. The main contribution of the previous work was to embed data by modifying the original, pre-existing image or embedding an encrypted datastream in an image. In this paper, we propose a fractal based approach for hiding sensitive information in a cover image (including artificially generated fractal images). The fractal parameters of the image are altered by the steganographic data while the image is generated. This results in an image that is generated with the data already hidden in it and not added after the fact. We show that the input parameters of the algorithm, such as the type of fractal and number of iterations, will serve as a simple encryption key for the hidden information. We also explain how the capacity of the image is affected by the variation of the parameters. Finally, we demonstrate that the proposed algorithms are immune to the commonly used steganographic detection algorithms.