Reversible Data-Hiding Systems with Modified Fluctuation Functions and Reed-Solomon Codes for Encrypted Image Recovery

In this paper, reversible data-hiding (RDH) systems with modified fluctuation functions and rate-matched Reed–Solomon (RS) codes are proposed to enhance the data recovery from encrypted images. The modified fluctuation functions are used for estimating embedded codeword bits from the correlation of pixels. Instead of direct data-bit embedding, codeword bits of RS codes are embedded by a data-hider. With the help of the error-correcting capability of RS codes, the encrypted message can be recovered from the weak correlation of adjacent pixels in the image. In the experimental results, bit error rate (BER) and peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) performances of the proposed system are better than those of referenced data-hiding systems for three images. The proposed schemes based on the modified fluctuation function or rate-matched codes can be applied to various RDH systems with better data transmission and image recovery performance.