CYBERSECURITY: DATA PROTECTION USING HYBRID ENCRYPTION & STEGANOGRAPHY

Abstract

With the rapid growth of digital communication, ensuring data security and privacy has become a major concern in modern cybersecurity. Sensitive information transmitted over networks is vulnerable to various attacks such as interception, unauthorized access, and data tampering. Traditional encryption techniques provide strong security but may still expose the existence of sensitive data, making them targets for attackers. To address these challenges, this project proposes a Cybersecurity system for data protection using Hybrid Encryption and Steganography, which combines cryptographic and data hiding techniques to enhance security. The proposed system uses hybrid encryption by integrating symmetric and asymmetric algorithms to ensure both efficiency and strong security. Symmetric encryption (such as AES) is used for fast data encryption, while asymmetric encryption (such as RSA) is used for secure key exchange. After encryption, steganography techniques are applied to hide the encrypted data within digital media such as images, making the presence of sensitive information invisible to attackers. This dual-layer security approach ensures both confidentiality and secrecy. The system is designed to provide secure data transmission and storage while maintaining high performance and reliability. The effectiveness of the system is evaluated based on parameters such as encryption strength, data hiding capacity, and resistance to attacks. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid approach significantly enhances data security compared to traditional methods. This project highlights the importance of combining encryption and steganography to build advanced cybersecurity systems for protecting sensitive information in real-world applications.