Key Generation Technique by Password Hashing Using AES Encryption for Hiding Cipher Text within an Image

The process of concealing data in the form of text, images, or videos behind a cover image, video, QR code, or even audio so that it is invisible to the naked eye is known as steganography. This paper gives a detailed literature review of hiding a secret text within a cover image by integrating Advanced encryption standard (AES) algorithm, and to ensure highest visual clarity, the embedding process prioritizes least significant bit (LSB) modification for intensity per pixel by separating the odd and even characters of text with a strong password hashing mechanism to implement encryption and decryption of text data securely. Along with the methodology, experimental set ups have been conducted to quantitatively assess the security and quality aspects of the proposed Steganography encryption technique by applying Mean Squared Error (MSE) and Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) scales for varying character sizes. The investigation showcases the effectiveness of the AES-based steganographic approach in ensuring powerful encryption while maintaining the original image quality. In addition to the methodology and results, a table summarizing the details and a proper flow diagram has been included for better understanding for future works.