{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T15:41:20Z","timestamp":1780501280433,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,1]],"date-time":"2022-02-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1643673600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Cloud computing is a rapidly expanding field. It allows users to access computer system resources as needed, particularly data storage and computational power, without managing them directly. This paper aims to create a data security model based on cryptography and steganography for data in cloud computing that seeks to reduce existing security and privacy concerns, such as data loss, data manipulation, and data theft. To identify the problem and determine its core cause, we studied various literature on existing cloud computing security models. This study utilizes design science research methodology. The design science research approach includes problem identification, requirements elicitation, artifact design and development, demonstration, and assessment. Design thinking and the Python programming language are used to build the artifact, and discussion about its working is represented using histograms, tables, and algorithms. This paper\u2019s output is a four-step data security model based on Rivest\u2013Shamir\u2013Adleman, Advanced Encryption Standard, and identity-based encryption algorithms alongside Least Significant Bit steganography. The four steps are data protection and security through encryption algorithms, steganography, data backup and recovery, and data sharing. This proposed approach ensures more cloud data redundancy, flexibility, efficiency, and security by protecting data confidentiality, privacy, and integrity from attackers.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s22031109","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,1]],"date-time":"2022-02-01T22:16:18Z","timestamp":1643753778000},"page":"1109","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":92,"title":["A Dynamic Four-Step Data Security Model for Data in Cloud Computing Based on Cryptography and Steganography"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"22","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8349-3717","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rose","family":"Adee","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University, Borgarfjordsgatan 12, Kista, 164 40 Stockholm, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haralambos","family":"Mouratidis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University, Borgarfjordsgatan 12, Kista, 164 40 Stockholm, Sweden"},{"name":"Institute for Analytics and Data Science, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Alkhamese, A.Y., Shabana, W.R., and Hanafy, I.M. (2019, January 2\u20134). Data Security in Cloud Computing Using Steganography: A Review. Proceedings of the 2019 International Conference on Innovative Trends in Computer Engineering (ITCE), Aswan, Egypt.","DOI":"10.1109\/ITCE.2019.8646434"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Yuefa, W.D., and Yaqiang, G. (2009, January 21\u201322). Data security model for cloud computing. Proceedings of the 2009 International Workshop on Information Security and Application (IWISA 2009), Qingdao, China."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bolton, T., Dargahi, T., Belguith, S., Al-Rakhami, M.S., and Sodhro, A.H. (2021). On the Security and Privacy Challenges of Virtual Assistants. Sensors, 21.","DOI":"10.3390\/s21072312"},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Khari, M., Kumar, M. (2016, January 16\u201318). Secure data transference architecture for cloud computing using cryptography algorithms. Proceedings of the 2016 3rd International Conference on Computing for Sustainable Global Development (INDIACom), New Delhi, India."},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"Singh, S., and Kumar, V. (2015, January 11\u201313). Secured User\u2019s Authentication and Private Data Storage-Access Scheme in Cloud Computing. Proceedings of the 2015 2nd International Conference on Computing for Sustainable Global Development (INDIACom), New Delhi, India."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ghuge, S.S., Kumar, S., Savitha, S., and Suraj, V. (2020, January 5\u20137). Multilayer Technique to Secure Data Transfer in Private Cloud for SaaS Applications. Proceedings of the 2020 2nd International Conference on Innovative Mechanisms for Industry Applications (ICIMIA), Bangalore, India.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICIMIA48430.2020.9074969"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pant, V.K., Prakash, J., and Asthana, A. (2015, January 8\u201310). Three step data security model for cloud computing based on RSA and steganography. Proceedings of the 2015 International Conference on Green Computing and Internet of Things (ICGCIoT), Greater Noida, India.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICGCIoT.2015.7380514"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Timothy, D.P., and Santra, A.K. (2017, January 10\u201312). A hybrid cryptography algorithm for cloud computing security. Proceedings of the 2017 International Conference on Microelectronic Devices, Circuits and Systems (ICMDCS), Vellore, India.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICMDCS.2017.8211728"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Jaber, A.N., and Zolkipli, M.F.B. (December, January 29). Use of cryptography in cloud computing. Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE International Conference on Control System, Computing and Engineering, Penang, Malaysia.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICCSCE.2013.6719955"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Islam, S.M.J., Chaudhury, Z.H., and Islam, S. (2019, January 5\u20138). A Simple and Secured Cryptography System of Cloud Computing. Proceedings of the 2019 IEEE Canadian Conference of Electrical and Computer Engineering (CCECE), Edmonton, AB, Canada.","DOI":"10.1109\/CCECE.2019.8861845"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chachapara, K., and Bhadlawala, S. (2013, January 28\u201330). Secure sharing with cryptography in cloud computing. Proceedings of the 2013 Nirma University International Conference on Engineering (NUiCONE), Ahmedabad, India.","DOI":"10.1109\/NUiCONE.2013.6780085"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"17","DOI":"10.9790\/3021-021221721","article-title":"Ensuring Data Storage Security in Cloud Computing","volume":"2","author":"Singh","year":"2012","journal-title":"IOSR J. Eng."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1136","DOI":"10.1109\/TCC.2016.2545668","article-title":"Secure Data Sharing in Cloud Computing Using Revocable-Storage Identity-Based Encryption","volume":"6","author":"Wei","year":"2016","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Cloud Comput."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3519","DOI":"10.1007\/s11042-016-3811-6","article-title":"Mobile-cloud assisted framework for selective encryption of medical images with steganography for resource-constrained devices","volume":"76","author":"Sajjad","year":"2016","journal-title":"Multimed. Tools Appl."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"326","DOI":"10.7763\/IJET.2012.V4.375","article-title":"A Novel Data Security Model for Cloud Computing","volume":"4","author":"Ajoudanian","year":"2012","journal-title":"Int. J. Eng. Technol."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sanghi, A., Chaudhary, S., and Dave, M. (2017). Enhance the Data Security in Cloud Computing by Text Steganography. Lect. Notes Netw. Syst., 241\u2013248.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-981-10-6916-1_22"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"182","DOI":"10.1016\/S1005-8885(11)60424-X","article-title":"Secure cloud storage based on cryptographic techniques","volume":"19","author":"Peng","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. China Univ. Posts Telecommun."},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"119","article-title":"Dual-layer security of image steganography based on IDEA and LSBG algorithm in the cloud environment","volume":"44","author":"Shanthakumari","year":"2019","journal-title":"Sadhana Acad. Proc. Eng. Sci."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"58","DOI":"10.1109\/MCC.2016.76","article-title":"Hybrid Cryptographic Access Control for Cloud-Based EHR Systems","volume":"3","author":"Premarathne","year":"2016","journal-title":"IEEE Cloud Comput."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bansal, P., Sharma, B., and Saxena, M. (2016, January 23\u201325). Low Error Rate Based Secure Sharing of Personal Health Record in Cloud Computing Using DWT Steganography. Proceedings of the 2016 8th International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Communication Networks (CICN), Tehri, India.","DOI":"10.1109\/CICN.2016.90"},{"key":"ref_21","first-page":"245","article-title":"Enhancing Mobile Cloud Computing Security Using Steganography","volume":"7","author":"Reza","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Inf. Secur."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"45","DOI":"10.2753\/MIS0742-1222240302","article-title":"A Design Science Research Methodology for Information Systems Research","volume":"24","author":"Peffers","year":"2007","journal-title":"J. Manag. Inf. Syst."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kumar, L., and Bandal, N. (2019, January 18\u201319). A review on hybrid encryption in cloud computing. Proceedings of the 2019 4th International Conference on Internet of Things: Smart Innovation and Usages (IoT-SIU), Ghaziabad, India.","DOI":"10.1109\/IoT-SIU.2019.8777503"},{"key":"ref_24","first-page":"46","article-title":"Data Security in Cloud Computing Using Elliptic Curve Cryptography","volume":"1","author":"Khan","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. J. Comput. Commun. Netw."},{"key":"ref_25","first-page":"208","article-title":"Evolutionary Computing Assisted Visually-Imperceptible Hybrid Cryptography and Steganography Model for Secure Data Communication over Cloud Environment","volume":"7","author":"Denis","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Comput. Netw. Appl."},{"key":"ref_26","first-page":"1","article-title":"An Approach of Securing Data using Combined Cryptography and Steganography","volume":"6","author":"Hadisukmana","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Math. Sci. Comput."},{"key":"ref_27","first-page":"1770","article-title":"Hybrid schnorr, rsa, and aes cryptosystem","volume":"8","author":"Alegro","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. J. Sci. Technol. Res."},{"key":"ref_28","first-page":"574","article-title":"A Comparative Analysis of Des, Aes and Rsa Crypt Algorithms for Network Security in Cloud Computing","volume":"6","author":"Chittibabu","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Emerg. Technol. Innov. Res."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Alsaffar, D.M., Almutiri, A.S., Alqahtani, B., Alamri, R.M., Alqahtani, H.F., Alqahtani, N.N., Alshammari, G.M., and Ali, A.A. (2020, January 19\u201321). Image Encryption Based on AES and RSA Algorithms. Proceedings of the 2020 3rd International Conference on Computer Applications & Information Security (ICCAIS), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICCAIS48893.2020.9096809"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Tamimi, A.A., Dawood, R., and Sadaqa, L. (2019, January 9\u201311). Disaster recovery techniques in cloud computing. Proceedings of the 2019 IEEE Jordan International Joint Conference on Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (JEEIT), Amman, Jordan.","DOI":"10.1109\/JEEIT.2019.8717450"},{"key":"ref_31","first-page":"593","article-title":"Cloud-based disaster recovery and planning models: An overview","volume":"13","author":"Hamadah","year":"2019","journal-title":"ICIC Express Lett."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"804","DOI":"10.1109\/TBDATA.2019.2907133","article-title":"P-MOD: Secure Privilege-Based Multilevel Organizational Data-Sharing in Cloud Computing","volume":"6","author":"Zaghloul","year":"2019","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Big Data"},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"15963","DOI":"10.1109\/ACCESS.2019.2962600","article-title":"Secure Data Sharing and Search for Cloud-Edge-Collaborative Storage","volume":"8","author":"Tao","year":"2019","journal-title":"IEEE Access"},{"key":"ref_34","first-page":"683","article-title":"Security concerns and countermeasures in cloud computing: A qualitative analysis","volume":"11","author":"Anjana","year":"2018","journal-title":"Int. J. Inf. Technol."},{"key":"ref_35","unstructured":"Yarrapothu, S. (2015). Effectiveness of Backup and Disaster Recovery in Cloud: A Comparative Study on Tape and Cloud Based Backup and Disaster Recovery. [Master\u2019s Thesis, Faculty of Computing, Blekinge Institute of Technology]."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"401","DOI":"10.1007\/s11390-010-9333-1","article-title":"Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing in Cloud Computing","volume":"25","author":"Wang","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. Comput. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"151","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cose.2013.12.002","article-title":"Achieving an effective, scalable and privacy-preserving data sharing service in cloud computing","volume":"42","author":"Dong","year":"2014","journal-title":"Comput. Secur."},{"key":"ref_38","first-page":"16","article-title":"Review of Secure File Storage on Cloud using Hybrid Cryptography","volume":"9","author":"Kanatt","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Eng. Res."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"511","DOI":"10.1016\/S1474-6670(17)38783-9","article-title":"Model identification and error covariance matrix estimation from noisy data using PCA","volume":"37","author":"Narasimhan","year":"2004","journal-title":"IFAC Proc. Vol."}],"container-title":["Sensors"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/22\/3\/1109\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T22:12:21Z","timestamp":1760134341000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/22\/3\/1109"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,1]]},"references-count":39,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,2]]}},"alternative-id":["s22031109"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/s22031109","relation":{},"ISSN":["1424-8220"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1424-8220","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,1]]}}}