Abstract
ABSTRACT:Batch steganography consists of hiding a message by spreading it out in a set of images, while pooled steganalysis consists of analyzing a set of images to conclude whether or not a hidden message is present. There are many strategies for spreading a message and it is reasonable to assume that the steganalyst does not know which one is being used, but it can be assumed that the steganographer uses the same embedding algorithm for all images. In this case, it can be shown that the most appropriate solution for pooled steganalysis is to use a single quantitative detector (i.e. one that predicts the size of the hidden message), to evaluate for each image the size, the hidden message (which can be zero if there is none), and to average the sizes (which are finally considered as scores) obtained over all the images.What would be the optimal solution if now the steganalyst could discriminate the spreading strategy among a set of known strategies. Could the steganalyst use a pooled steganalysis algorithm that is better than averaging the scores? Could the steganalyst obtain results close to the so-called "clairvoyant" scenario where it is assumed that the steganalyst knows exactly the spreading strategy?In this thesis, we try to answer these questions by proposing a pooled steganalysis architecture based on a quantitative image detector and an optimized score pooling function. The first contribution is a study of quantitative steganalysis algorithms in order to decide which one is best suited for pooled steganalysis. For this purpose, we propose to extend this comparison to binary steganalysis algorithms and we propose a methodology to switch from binary steganalysis results to quantitative steganalysis and vice versa.The core of the thesis lies in the second contribution. We study the scenario where the steganalyst does not know the spreading strategy. We then propose an optimized pooling function of the results based on a set of spreading strategies which improves the accuracy of the pooled steganalysis compared to a simple average. This pooling function is computed using supervised learning techniques. Experimental results obtained with six different spreading strategies and a state-of-the-art quantitative detector confirm our hypothesis. Our pooling function gives results close to a clairvoyant steganalyst who is supposed to know the spreading strategy.Keywords: Multimedia Security, Batch Steganography, Pooled Steganalysis, Machine Learning.