in steganography, what is used to hide a message?

Steganography is the technique of hiding hugger-mugger data within an ordinary, non-hush-hush, file or message in order to avoid detection; the secret data is then extracted at its destination. The employ of steganography can exist combined with encryption as an extra footstep for hiding or protecting information. The word steganography is derived from the Greek words steganos (meaning subconscious or covered) and the Greek root graph (meaning to write).

Steganography can be used to conceal almost any type of digital content, including text, epitome, video or audio content; the information to be hidden can be hidden inside almost any other type of digital content. The content to be curtained through steganography -- chosen hidden text -- is often encrypted earlier being incorporated into the innocuous-seeming embrace text file or data stream. If not encrypted, the subconscious text is usually candy in some way in order to increase the difficulty of detecting the cloak-and-dagger content.

What are examples for steganography?

Steganography is practiced by those wishing to convey a surreptitious message or code. While there are many legitimate uses for steganography, malware developers have also been found to apply steganography to obscure the transmission of malicious lawmaking.

Forms of steganography have been used for centuries and include virtually whatsoever technique for hiding a secret message in an otherwise harmless container. For example, using invisible ink to hide secret letters in otherwise inoffensive messages; hiding documents recorded on microdot -- which can be equally minor as 1 millimeter in diameter -- on or within legitimate-seeming correspondence; and even by using multiplayer gaming environments to share information.

How is steganography used today?

In mod digital steganography, data is outset encrypted or obfuscated in some other way and then inserted, using a special algorithm, into data that is role of a particular file format such as a JPEG image, audio or video file. The secret message can exist embedded into ordinary data files in many dissimilar ways. 1 technique is to hide data in $.25 that represent the same color pixels repeated in a row in an image file. Past applying the encrypted data to this redundant data in some camouflaged way, the result will exist an image file that appears identical to the original image simply that has "dissonance" patterns of regular, unencrypted data.

The practice of adding a watermark -- a trademark or other identifying data hidden in multimedia or other content files -- is one common use of steganography. Watermarking is a technique often used by online publishers to identify the source of media files that accept been found being shared without permission.

While in that location are many dissimilar uses of steganography, including embedding sensitive data into file types, one of the about mutual techniques is to embed a text file into an epitome file. When this is done, anyone viewing the image file should non be able to run across a difference between the original image file and the encrypted file; this is achieved by storing the message with less significant bites in the information file. This process can be completed manually or with the utilise of a steganography tool.

What are the advantages of steganography over cryptography?

Steganography is distinct from cryptography, just using both together can aid improve the security of the protected information and prevent detection of the secret communication. If steganographically-hidden information is likewise encrypted, the data may still be safe from detection -- though the channel will no longer be condom from detection. There are advantages to using steganography combined with encryption over encryption-only communication.

The primary advantage of using steganography to hide data over encryption is that it helps obscure the fact that in that location is sensitive information hidden in the file or other content conveying the hidden text. Whereas an encrypted file, bulletin or network packet payload is clearly marked and identifiable as such, using steganographic techniques helps to obscure the presence of the secure channel.

Steganography software

Steganography software is used to perform a variety of functions in order to hide data, including encoding the data in club to prepare it to be hidden inside another file, keeping rails of which bits of the comprehend text file incorporate subconscious information, encrypting the data to be hidden and extracting hidden data past its intended recipient.

There are proprietary likewise every bit open source and other gratuitous-to-use programs bachelor for doing steganography. OpenStego is an open source steganography program; other programs can be characterized by the types of data that can be hidden equally well as what types of files that data can be subconscious inside. Some online steganography software tools include Xiao Steganography, used to hibernate secret files in BMP images or WAV files; Image Steganography, a Javascript tool that hides images within other image files; and Crypture, a control line tool that is used to perform steganography.

This was last updated in July 2021

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