A secure image steganography framework for covert communication using asymmetric encryption and Huffman Compression

Aulia Khamas Heikhmakhtiar (Universitas Pertahanan Republik Indonesia, Bogor, Indonesia)
Nadiza Lediwara (Universitas Pertahanan Republik Indonesia, Bogor, Indonesia)
Sembada Denrineksa Bimorogo (Universitas Pertahanan Republik Indonesia, Bogor, Indonesia)

Journal of Defense Technology and Engineering
Vol. 1 No. 2 (2026): January, Journal of Defense Technology and Engineering

This paper presents a secure data-hiding framework that combines asymmetric key cryptography, lossless data compression, and image steganography to enhance the confidentiality and imperceptibility of hidden communications. The proposed method encrypts the secret message using an asymmetric encryption scheme, compresses the resulting ciphertext using Huffman coding, and embeds the compressed data into a digital image using a spatial-domain steganographic technique. This multi-layered approach ensures that both the existence and the content of the secret message are protected. Experimental evaluations were conducted using standard image quality metrics, including Mean Squared Error (MSE), Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), and Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM), to assess visual imperceptibility, along with performance analysis to evaluate computational overhead. The results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves high image quality with minimal distortion while maintaining strong cryptographic security. The integration of compression effectively reduces embedding payload, further improving steganographic performance. The findings indicate that the proposed framework provides a robust and practical solution for secure and covert data transmission.