Quantum Steganography: Hiding Secret Messages in Images using Quantum Circuits and SIFT

In today’s era of escalating digital threats and the growing need for safeguarding sensitive information, this research strives to advance the field of information concealment by introducing a pioneering steganography methodology. Our approach goes beyond the conventional boundaries of image security by seamlessly integrating classical image processing techniques with the cutting-edge realm of quantum encoding. The foundation of our technique lies in the meticulous identification of distinctive features within the cover image, a crucial step achieved through the utilization of SIFT (Scale-Invariant Feature Transform). These identified key points are further organized into coherent clusters employing the K-means clustering algorithm, forming a structured basis for our covert communication process. The core innovation of this research resides in the transformation of the concealed message into a NEQR (Novel Enhanced Quantum Representation) code, a quantum encoding framework that leverages the power of quantum circuits. This transformative step ensures not only the secrecy but also the integrity of the hidden information, making it highly resistant to even the most sophisticated decryption attempts. The strategic placement of the quantum circuit representing the concealed message at the centroids of the clusters generated by the K-means algorithm conceals it within the cover image seamlessly. This fusion of classical image processing and quantum encoding results in an unprecedented level of security for the embedded information, rendering it virtually impervious to unauthorized access. Empirical findings from extensive experimentation affirm the robustness and efficacy of our proposed strategy.