LSBase: A key encapsulation scheme to improve hybrid crypto-systems using DNA steganography

Abstract

A hybrid cryptosystem is itself a public-key system, whose public and private keys are the same as in the key encapsulation scheme. In this paper, DNA-steganography and cryptography are used together such that the key distribution process is improved without any sacrifice in security. That is, the session key is hidden inside a chosen DNA sequence and hence can be securely exchanged between parties through public channels such as the internet. The proposed steganographic algorithm; called LSBase, uses the codon degeneracy as an efficient way to hide secret information within DNA sequences without actually affecting the type or structure of the protein they code for. Furthermore, the extraction process can be done blindly without any need to the reference sequence.