Private ID verification through Image Steganography on an FPGA

Introduction

While cryptography hides the meaning of the message, steganography hides the presence of a message altogether.
The elements of a steganographic system are:
- Cover-object: It is any object that may carry a hidden message, for example: images, audio, video, text, HTML files, etc.
- Stego-object: refers to the object which is carrying a hidden message.
- Cover-object + message = stego-object

Identity assurance is vital for financial institutions as well as other businesses to determine if they are transacting with legitimate customers.
Fraud, identity theft, and money laundering, among other crimes, continue to threaten these establishments, especially if they fail to implement modern, strong security measures.
Implementing innovative solutions for identity verification and identity document authentication can improve their security measures while providing a seamless user experience and complying with regulations.

When onboarding new clients or authorizing transactions, businesses can ask their customers to use their mobile devices to take photos of their ID documents such as their passport, driver’s license, or national ID and submit the document image for validation.
Identifying the validity of a client’s submitted documents allows firms to determine forgeries and mitigate potential illegal activities. Moreover, it is essential for anti-fraud regulations.

The main goal of steganography is to shield the presence of a hidden message from human senses and digital applications. - Methods