A Review paper of Least Significant Bit (LSB) based steganography with encryption.

– In the age of pervasive digital communication, ensuring the confidentiality of sensitive information has become increasingly vital. Image steganography, particularly techniques based on Least Significant Bit (LSB) manipulation, offers a covert channel for data hiding. However, classical LSB methods lack robustness and are vulnerable to various attacks. This research presents a comparative and consolidated study of advanced LSB-based image steganography techniques enhanced with cryptographic mechanisms such as Huffman Coding, Triple DES (3DES), Multi-Level Encryption (MLE), and MD5 hashing. A novel approach—Huffman Code LSB-based Image Steganography using Multi-Level Encryption and the achromatic component (HC-LSBIS-MLE-AC)—is reviewed for its use of the HSI color model, Magic Matrix scrambling, and Huffman encoding, significantly improving security, payload capacity, and visual imperceptibility. Additionally, a hybrid technique employing 3DES with LSB embedding and MD5 key hashing is evaluated for its simplicity and effectiveness in secure communication.