Abstract :

The Widespread Adoption Of Centralized Cloud Infrastructures Alongside Decentralized Storage Paradigms Like Peer-to-peer Networks And Blockchain-driven Platforms Has Resulted In User Data Being Stored On Remote Systems Outside Direct Ownership And Control. Although Encryption Mechanisms Are Commonly Implemented By Service Providers, The Risk Of Data Exposure Persists Due To Insider Threats, Particularly From Privileged Administrators Who May Gain Access To Cryptographic Keys And Decrypt Protected Information. To Address This Concern, A Self-protective Data Security Architecture Is Proposed, Combining Hybrid Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) And Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), Image-based Steganography, And Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) To Establish A Secure End-to-end Protection Model. In This Design, Data Is Encrypted Using AES To Ensure Computational Efficiency, While ECC Is Utilized For Secure Key Exchange, Creating A Layered Encryption Strategy Where No Single Party Can Obtain Complete Access To Both Keys, Thereby Eliminating Unauthorized Decryption Risks. Additionally, Sensitive Data Is Concealed Using Image Steganography Techniques, Where Encrypted Content Is Embedded Within Normal-looking Images, Effectively Masking Its Presence And Making Detection By Adversaries Highly Improbable. Each File Is Further Secured With A Cryptographic Hashcode To Verify Integrity, Enabling Immediate Identification Of Any Tampering Attempts. User Authentication Is Strengthened Through MFA, Requiring Standard Login Credentials Followed By A One-time Password (OTP) Sent To The User’s Registered Email, Significantly Reducing The Likelihood Of Unauthorized Access Even In The Event Of Credential Compromise. Furthermore, The Framework Integrates Cybersecurity Awareness Modules That Deliver Educational Content And Real-time Threat Intelligence, Encouraging Users To Adopt Safer Digital Practices. By Jointly Leveraging Strong Encryption, Covert Data Hiding, And Rigorous Authentication Measures, This System Ensures Data Confidentiality, Integrity, And Availability, While Minimizing The Risks Associated With Data Breaches, Unauthorized Manipulation, And Insider Attacks In Untrusted Storage Ecosystems.

Published:

24-4-2026

Issue:

Vol. 26 No. 4 (2026)

Page Nos:

2991-3000

Section:

Articles

License:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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