A Multimodal Approach to Digital Security: Combining Steganography, ‎Watermarking, and Image Enhancement

  • Authors

    • Gogineni Krishna Chaitanya Department of Computer Science and Engineering,‎ Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, Vaddeswaram, Andhra Pradesh, India
    • Sasidhar Reddy Gaddam Staff IT Software Engineer, Palo Alto Networks, Huntersville, North Carolina, USA
    • Khadri Syed Faizz Ahmad Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India
    • Balaji Vicharapu Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India
    • Uppuluri Lakshmi Soundharya Department of Computer Science and Engineering,‎ Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, Vaddeswaram, Andhra Pradesh, India
    • Uppuluri Naga Lakshmi Madhuri Department of Computer Science and Engineering NRI Institute of Technology, Pothavarappadu, Andhra Pradesh, India
    https://doi.org/10.14419/3r5r6r74

    Received date: May 19, 2025

    Accepted date: June 20, 2025

    Published date: July 5, 2025

  • CLAHE; Steganography; Watermarking; Image Enhancement

  • Abstract

    This study addresses the limitations of traditional Least ‎Significant Bit (LSB) techniques in digital forensics by ‎proposing an intelligent watermarking framework enhanced ‎with Contrast-Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization ‎‎(CLAHE) and Spread Spectrum Watermarking. We propose a ‎robust hybrid approach combining Discrete Cosine Transform ‎‎(DCT)-based frequency domain watermarking with spread ‎spectrum techniques to improve imperceptibility, security, and ‎resilience against unauthorized tampering. The proposed ‎model embeds robust watermarks with minimal impact on ‎perceptual image quality, validated through quantitative ‎metrics such as Mean Squared Error (MSE) and perceptual ‎analysis. Comparative experiments demonstrate superior ‎performance over conventional LSB methods, particularly in ‎resisting compression and noise-based attacks. Additionally, ‎we integrate cryptographic hashing (SHA-256) for ‎authentication, ensuring tamper-proof verification. The results ‎highlight the framework’s efficacy in digital forensics, ‎copyright protection, and secure multimedia communication. ‎Future work explores adaptive watermarking with machine ‎learning and blockchain integration for enhanced traceability‎.

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  • How to Cite

    Chaitanya , G. K. ., Gaddam, S. R. . ., Ahmad , K. S. F. ., Vicharapu, B. ., Soundharya, U. L. . ., & Madhuri , U. N. L. . (2025). A Multimodal Approach to Digital Security: Combining Steganography, ‎Watermarking, and Image Enhancement. International Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 14(2), 611-619. https://doi.org/10.14419/3r5r6r74