International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication

Volume: 2 Issue: 8

ISSN: 2321-8169
2317 2320

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Bit Slicng based Visual Cryptography On Gray Scale Image

K.Sindhu

Ch.RatnaKumari

K.Srinivasa Rao

Student, Computer Science Department

UCEK, Kakinada
Andhra Pradesh, India
e-mail:[email protected]

Asst Prof, Computer science department

UCEK, Kakinada
Andhra Pradesh, India
e-mail:[email protected]

Asst Prof, MCA department

Yogi Vemana University, kadapa
Andhra Pradesh, India
e-mail:[email protected]

Abstract Data transmission through online is become mandatory in recent ages. No one can avoid data transmission over internet. But
sensitivity of the data to be considered while transmits over internet. Internet is public medium where everyone has equal right to do their
activities. Like in general public, internet also having malicious users and their main activity is deployment of attack. These attacks are of many
types such as hacking, tampering and eavesdropping etc. Efficient data hiding techniques are required to with stand these attacks or to escape
from these attacks. Visual Cryptography is one of such techniques to hide multimedia data in other multimedia data such as images, audio files
or video files. In the proposed system secret image is partitioned or divided into shares based on the bits. These shares are then covered with
given cover images then these covered shares are distributed to n participants. To recover the secret all those participants are required. The
proposed approach followed a novel method of bit slicing on gray scale images. So at the time of recover secret image cant be visible with same
intensity or resolution as that of original image. For this purpose four secret keys are used. Simulation results shows that when compared to
existing schemes , proposed approach can hide the image under cover images in efficient way as well as recovering of secret also lightweight
and resilience to attacks.
Keywords: Visual cryptography, bit slicing, lightweight cryptography, resilience

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I. INTRODUCTION
Visual Cryptography is another technique for
achieving data security [1]. It is a cryptographic method in
which cipher text can be decoded directly by the human visual
system. Decryption process does not require any
computational device, and it is a mechanical operation. Thus,
it eliminates the drawback of hardware and software
requirement, which is needed for the decryption process in
traditional cryptography. In Visual Cryptography [1], one
secret image is encoded into n shares and each share is given
to one of the participant in the group.
Each participant cannot decrypt any information from his
own transparency, but when at least k of them superimpose
their shares pixel by pixel, they retrieve the secret from the
superimposed result by using their visual system. Such a
scheme is called (k, n) visual secret sharing VSS by E.R
verhaul and H.C.A.V.Tilborg [3]. Any k shares can be stacked
to retrieve secret. By Stacking of k 1 or less does not reveal
the secret. When k or more transparencies are superimposed, is
proportional to the number of superimposed transparencies. So
that the decryption process requires only human visual system
instead of any computational device. It is much useful in
situations where computing devices are not available [2].
Visual cryptography which allows the encryption of
secret information in the image form.Visual secret sharing
scheme is which a image was broken up to n shares could
decrypt the image by stacking all the transparencies together.
Extended visual cryptography which adds a meaningful cover
image to each share. Someone with all n shares could decrypt
the image the decryption becomes a mechanical operation.

Fig 1 Example of Visual Cryptography Scheme

II. RELATED WORK
In the year 1994, Naor and Shamir [1] introduced the concept
of visual cryptography to encode a binary image into two
shares, share1 and share2.The decryption can be performed by
using human Visual System (HVS).kai-Hui Lee and pei-Ling
chiu [2] proposed a two phased encryption algorithm. In the
first phase based on the access structure construct shares using
some optimization technique. In the second phase add a cover
image to each share by using stamping algorithm. E.R.Verhaul
and H.C.A.V.Tilborg [3] introduced k out of n visual
cryptographic scheme. This is an extension to Naor and
Shamir model. In the past decade, many research results on the
threshold visual secret sharing scheme (also known as k-outof-n VSS scheme or (k-n)VSS scheme) have been proposed
[2][9]. G.Ateniese,C.Blundo,A.D.Santis [10] proposed the
concept of general access structure (GAS) and also developed
a VC-based solution for some GASs .Afterward, Hsu
proposed the unexpanded VCS for a GAS problem as an
optimization model [11], [12]. F.Liu C.wu and X.Lin proposed
a step construction of visual cryptography [13]. For example
there are four participantsone CEO, one manager, and two
employeessharing a secret image, the CEO may decrypt the
secret with any one colleague who holds one of the other
shares. The manager is allowed to get the secret with only two
employees. The two employees are restricted access to the
secret. Due to these flexibilities, dealers can also set the
number of shares as the decrypting condition. Hence, the
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International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication

Volume: 2 Issue: 8

ISSN: 2321-8169
2317 2320

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
VSS scheme can be known as a special case of the GAS.
Conventional VSS schemes delivered noise-like random pixels
on shares to hide secret images. In this manner, the secret can
be perfectly concealed on the share images. However, these
schemes suffer from a management problem. Hence,
researchers have developed the extended visual cryptography
scheme (EVCS [14], also known as the friendly VC scheme
[15], [16]), which adds a meaningful cover image on each
share to address the management problem. Ateniese presented
a general technique to implement -threshold EVCS as well as
various interesting classes of access structures for binary
secret images [14]. Fang [15] and C.Blundo A.D.Santis [16]
proposed VC-based and random-grid-based techniques,
respectively, for EVCS with a progressive decryption effect.
Wang et al. developed a matrix extension algorithm for EVCS by modifying an existing VCS with random-looking
shares, which were then utilized as meaningful shares
[17].J.Weirand W.yan [18] proposed a plane transformation
visual cryptography. The pixel expansion problem is a
disadvantage with most of the VSS schemes. The contrast of
the recovered images will be decreased to simultaneously. The
pixel expansion problem not only affects the practicability of
storage/transmission requirements for shares but also
decreases the contrast of the recovered secret images [19]. so,
the existing EVCS algorithms for GASs cannot avoid the pixel
expansion problem[20]. Therefore, to find a solution to this
problem proposed a novel technique called bit slicing for
division of shares.

share. Initially these shares contain zero values. After this bit
distribution they are replaced with equivalent gray values.
Now these shares have to be hiding in the cover
images. For this purpose n cover images are required. To hide
the ith secret share in the ith cover image four secret keys are
chosen. Among those four keys are two are divisors and two
are excepted remainders. To hide the ith secret share in the ith
cover image the modulus of cover image and secret image
should be equal by dividing them with same divisor final
shares contain those pixel of secret image whose intensity
levels should match with cover image due to that, matched
gray level can generate same remainder.

III. EXISTING SYSTEM

Extended visual cryptography scheme for general access
structures address the pixel expansion problem. The pixel
expansion problem means it effect the storage /transmission
needs of shares and it degrades the contrast of the recovered
image. In the existing System they use GAS solver technique
for division of shares which needs complex mathematical
optimization techniques.
IV. PROPOSED SYSTEM
This section consists of proposed architecture to the existing
system. In the proposed system secret image is partitioned or
divided into shares based on the bits. These shares are then
covered with given cover images then these covered shares are
distributed to n participants. To recover the secret all those
participants are required. The proposed approach followed a
novel method of bit slicing on gray scale images. So at the
time of recover secret image cant be visible with same
intensity or resolution as that of original image. For this
purpose four secret keys are used. Proposed visual
cryptography procedure is described as follows.
It takes either RGB or gray scale image as input. If
given input is RGB image then it is converted into gray image.
Given secret image is converted into bit slices and placed in
the shares. At least two and at most eight shares are required to
apply proposed approach. Here we considered three shares.
Each pixel of gray scale image contains 0-255
contrast levels. Any number of this range can fit in 1Byte of
memory can be represented with 8 bits. By taking this analysis
as a basis 1, 4, 7 bits of each pixel value is store in the first
share, 2, 5, 8 bits of each pixel value is stored in the second
share and balance bit positions 3 and 6 are placed in the third

Fig 2 Solution procedure for gray scale images.

To keep track of those positions in all the secret
shares three sparse matrices are generated. They are used to
recover the images by verifying the same pixel positions. The
four keys can be distributed or maintained centrally by any
trusted third party for recovery of image. But if we want to
distribute those four keys they should be jumbled. Here care
should be taken while choosing divisors and remainders in
such a way so that cover images should not be affected or
destroyed in full length.
Next process is reconstruction or recovery of secret
from the distributed covered shares. Reverse process is
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IJRITCC | August 2014, Available @ http://www.ijritcc.org

_______________________________________________________________________________________

International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication

Volume: 2 Issue: 8

ISSN: 2321-8169
2317 2320

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
required to get the secret. For that tracked and stored sparse
matrices are used along with secret keys. Choose those pixel
positions respectively from the sparse matrices and divide with
same divisor and compare with the same remainder while
encrypting. Result of this process generates merged version of
n shares. Now apply color map on the merged version to
differentiate the gray intensity levels. Recovered secret look
like a shadow or outlined image of original secret image.
Proposed approach uses visual cryptography on gray
scale images with bit slicing technique. Observe that bit
slicing is not applied or reversed at the time of secret recovery.
So final recovered secret may not necessarily displayed as
original secret. This shows that computation using all the four
secret keys and bit slice is lightweight and resilience to
stenography attacks.

Fig 6 Share 3 of bit Slicing

V. SAMPLE RESULTS

Fig 7 Cover image 1 Contains Share 1

Fig 3 Input Secret image

Fig 8 Cover image 2 contains share2

Fig 9 cover image 3 contains share 3

Fig 4 Share 1 of Bit Slicing

Fig 5 Share 2 of Bit Slicing

Fig 10 Recovered Secret image
VI. CONCLUSION
Hence, proposed approach followed a novel method
of bit slicing on gray scale images. So at the time of recover
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IJRITCC | August 2014, Available @ http://www.ijritcc.org

_______________________________________________________________________________________

International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication

Volume: 2 Issue: 8

ISSN: 2321-8169
2317 2320

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
secret image cant be visible with same intensity or resolution
as that of original image. For this purpose four secret keys are
used. Simulation results shows that when compared to existing
schemes , proposed approach can hide the image under cover
images in efficient way as well as recovering of secret also
lightweight and resilience to attacks.
Future extension to proposed approach will be
applying of bit slicing and visual cryptography on RGB
images
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