Hybrid design for cloud data security using a combination of AES, ECC and LSB steganography

The ever-growing popularity of cloud systems is prompting a revolutionary change in information technology field. Parallel and flexible services offered by cloud technology are making it the ultimate solution for individuals as well as for organisations of all size. The grave security concerns present in cloud must be addressed to protect the data and privacy of huge number of cloud users. We present a hybrid solution to tackle the key management problem. The data in the cloud is encrypted with AES encryption with private key. The AES 256-bits key is then encrypted with ECC. The ECC encrypted key will be embedded in the user's image with LSB steganography. If the user decides to share cloud data with a second user, he only needs to embed the AES key in the second user's image. Using steganography, ECC and AES we can achieve strong security posture and efficient key management and distribution for multiple users.