**1. Introduction**

The concept of security refers to the prevention of unauthorized access to information. In today's computer science, encryption's primary goal is to prevent confidential data from being altered, lost, hacked, or compromised by a third party [1]. Encryption and concealment of information are among the most widely used methods in networking and information security. Encryption and concealment of information (both similar concepts) are commonly used to keep communications secure [2, 3] fact that both methods have the same purpose. Still, their development and use are vastly different. Cryptography alters the sense of coded writing, while steganography is a covert way of writing that conceals the encrypted message's nature. Thus, in data transmission through an insecure public medium, the science of steganography is more reliable, necessary and often preferred over encryption [4, 5].

Various steganography systems, as well as their criteria, are discussed in this article based on the literature. Different systems use different strategies for embedding data, each with a set of benchmarks to evaluate performance and determine its advantages and disadvantages. Vulnerability to adversary attack is one of the three common criteria. To avoid arousing suspicion, the embedded data must be kept

undetectable both visually and statistically. A fully reliable system with comparable carrier and stego file statistics should be considered during the message embedding process [5, 6]. The carrier's power, known as the amount of data concealed within it, is the second common prerequisite. The development of a steganography technique could allow more sensitive data to be hidden within the carrier while maintaining the properties of the stego file [1, 5]. A successful steganography strategy should keep enough information in its embedding capability [6]. Imperceptibility is the third common prerequisite, which is characterized as having a high embedding potential and the ability to resist intruders. The stego carrier should ideally be devoid of visual artifacts and the greater the stego carrier's fidelity should be better [2].

data within each carrier. Text, audio, video, and photographs are examples of multimedia used to hide records. Text can be obscured by changing the text's layout, inserting an nth character from the text, or changing any of the rules, such as spacing. Text can also be hidden using a code made up of letters, lines, and page numbers. However, this process is insecure [2]. The biggest benefit of this carrier is

In contrast to other carriers, it has a very limited number of redundant data [10, 14]. The use of inaudible frequencies and a small shift in the binary sequence of an audio file can be used to hide data in audio files [2, 15]. Data masking in video files is more efficient and effective due to the wide available space. Allowing data to be hidden within multiple video frames [16]. Uncompressed and compressed video are the two main formats of video in which data can be hidden. Digital images have been common carriers for masking confidential information due to their high redundancy, high capacity in images, low effect on exposure, and ease of manipulation [15, 17]. DNA is a relatively recent vector that has been used in the field of

The most important molecular structure in biology is deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which encodes the information required to generate and direct all chemical elements in the human body. As a result, DNA has been suggested as a possible

DNA is described as a living creature's genetic blueprint. Each body cell has its DNA collection and a polymer made up of monomers called deoxyribose nucleo-

The human body is made up of trillions of cells, each with its purpose. As seen in **Figure 3**, each cell has a nucleus that comprises several chromosomes. The majority of DNA is present in a nucleus, which is known as nucleus DNA, and the remainder is found in mitochondria, which is known as mitochondria DNA (mtDNA). Each cell's activity is regulated by DNA. DNA chromosome is made up of a DNA molecule of genes. A gene is the entire genetic makeup of an organism, containing

that it does not take a lot of memory and is quick to switch.

*DNA Computing Using Cryptographic and Steganographic Strategies*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97620*

steganography. In this article, we look at the data hidden in DNA.

tides, consisting of three components, as seen in **Figure 2** [19].

**2. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)**

candidate for computational purposes [18].

information from all chromosomes [20].

**2.1 DNA structure**

**Figure 2.**

**97**

*Structure of deoxyribonucleic acid.*

The masking theory is typically modeled by a pair of algorithms: embedding and extraction, as seen in **Figure 1**. The embedding algorithm produces a stego file containing the private data by merging two folders, secret and vector data, with an optional key. On the other hand, the extraction algorithm is used to recover the secret data from the stego file [7]. Steganography is a method of concealing data that does not require the use of a key. Its protection depends on the privacy of the algorithm. As a result, it is known as a less reliable approach [8, 9]. Another way to hide information is to hide confidential data, which uses one key for all operations (embedding and extraction). One of the most important benefits of this type is its rapid stage in all procedures [10, 11]. Unlike previous patterns, public steganography uses two keys for embedding and extraction: embedding and the other for extracting. The biggest value of this type is the durability of the system. The identification of the other key could be a concern if one of the keys is identified by a third party [10, 12]. On the other hand, this model is 100–1000 times slower than private steganography [13].

Several applications represent a container for confidential data. In steganography schemes, these programs are used as cover objects or carriers. Per carrier has its own set of characteristics that aid in the data concealment process. The carrier's field availability determines the amount of confidential information needed to hide

**Figure 1.** *Block diagram of steganography system.*

*DNA Computing Using Cryptographic and Steganographic Strategies DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97620*

data within each carrier. Text, audio, video, and photographs are examples of multimedia used to hide records. Text can be obscured by changing the text's layout, inserting an nth character from the text, or changing any of the rules, such as spacing. Text can also be hidden using a code made up of letters, lines, and page numbers. However, this process is insecure [2]. The biggest benefit of this carrier is that it does not take a lot of memory and is quick to switch.

In contrast to other carriers, it has a very limited number of redundant data [10, 14]. The use of inaudible frequencies and a small shift in the binary sequence of an audio file can be used to hide data in audio files [2, 15]. Data masking in video files is more efficient and effective due to the wide available space. Allowing data to be hidden within multiple video frames [16]. Uncompressed and compressed video are the two main formats of video in which data can be hidden. Digital images have been common carriers for masking confidential information due to their high redundancy, high capacity in images, low effect on exposure, and ease of manipulation [15, 17]. DNA is a relatively recent vector that has been used in the field of steganography. In this article, we look at the data hidden in DNA.
