Reversible data hiding based on Hilbert curve scan and histogram modification

As an effective technique, reversible data hiding played an important role in multimedia security. Its key advantage lies in not only the cover image but also the secret hidden data can be recovered accurately in decoder. In recent years, many reversible data hiding schemes for images were developed, aiming to enhance the hiding capacity and stego-image visual quality. Fractal curves have been successfully applied in digital image processing. In this study, the Hilbert curve, one of the popular used Fractal curves, was applied for reversible data hiding in natural images incorporated with histogram modification. Extensive experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. Moreover, the superior performance of higher capacity and better stego-image quality is illustrated in comparison with several available methods of the same kind.