Using multiple re-embeddings for quantitative steganalysis and image reliability estimation

Abstract

The quantitative steganalysis problem aims at estimating the amount of payload embedded inside a document. In this paper, JPEG images are considered, and by the use of a re-embedding based methodology, it is possible to estimate the number of original embedding changes performed on the image by a stego source and to slightly improve the estimation regarding classical quantitative steganalysis methods. The major advance of this methodology is that it also enables to obtain a confidence interval on this estimated payload. This confidence interval then permits to evaluate the difficulty of an image, in terms of steganalysis by estimating the reliability of the output. The regression technique comes from the OP-ELM and the reliability is estimated using linear approximation. The methodology is applied with a publicly available stego algorithm, regression model and database of images. The methodology is generic and can be used for any quantitative steganalysis problem of this class.