DNA-based cryptographic methods for data hiding in DNA media.

Area of Science:

• Information Security
• Cryptography
• Steganography
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Information security relies on cryptography and steganography.
• Genomic DNA is a novel medium for steganography (DNA steganography) due to its large capacity and inherent security.
• Existing research combines DNA steganography with Vigenere and DNA-based Playfair ciphers, leaving room for further exploration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively analyze and compare the performance of Vigenere, DNA-based Playfair, RSA, and AES ciphers when combined with DNA steganography.
• To propose and evaluate a modified DNA-based Playfair cipher technique for improved security and data hiding capacity.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of cryptographic algorithms (Vigenere, Playfair, RSA, AES) integrated with DNA steganography.
• Development and experimental evaluation of a modified DNA-based Playfair cipher.
• Performance assessment based on security, speed, hiding capacity, key size, and data size.

Main Results:

• The study reports diverse performance metrics for each combined technique.
• The modified DNA-based Playfair cipher demonstrates superior performance.
• Experimental results confirm significantly enhanced hiding capacity and security compared to other methods.

Conclusions:

• The modified DNA-based Playfair cipher offers a simple, fast, and highly effective solution for DNA steganography.
• This enhanced technique provides superior hiding capacity and security over previously combined methods.
• Further research into combining advanced cryptographic techniques with DNA steganography is warranted.