{adembayazit}
One step further every day…
{adembayazit}
One step further every day…
Steganography: Hiding in Plain Sight What is Steganography?Steganography is the practice of concealing a message, file, or image within another message, file, or image. The term comes from the Greek words "steganos" (covered or concealed) and "graphein" (writing).
Unlike cryptography, which focuses on making a message unreadable, steganography focuses on making the message undetectable. The goal is to hide the very existence of the secret communication.
The concept of "hiding in plain sight" is central to steganography. By embedding secret data within ordinary, everyday files—such as images, audio files, videos, or even text documents—the information remains invisible to casual observers while being accessible to those who know how to extract it.
This area shows potential Least Significant Bit modification where the last bits of pixel values are altered to hide data.
Subtle changes in the color palette can indicate hidden information embedded in this region.
EXIF data in this section shows inconsistencies that might contain steganographic payload.
Statistical analysis reveals patterns inconsistent with normal image compression algorithms.
The least significant bit of each pixel byte is altered to store hidden data. This creates minimal visual impact but can be detected through statistical analysis.
WhatsApp Message Analogy: Think of LSB like changing the punctuation in a message slightly to encode secret information. The message looks normal but contains hidden meaning.
Subtle changes to the color palette can encode information. This technique is especially effective in images with limited color ranges.
In 2017, cybersecurity researchers discovered a campaign where malware was hidden in PNG images using palette-based steganography. The images appeared normal but contained malicious code.
EXIF and other metadata fields can be used to hide information. Suspicious fields or unusually long metadata may indicate steganographic content.
WhatsApp Message Analogy: This is like hiding a secret message in the "subject" field of an email while the main content appears completely normal.
Images with steganographic content often show statistical anomalies when analyzed with chi-square tests or other statistical methods.
A steganography analyst specializes in detecting, extracting, and analyzing hidden data within files. Their responsibilities include:
Obtain suspected files through forensic imaging or legal means, ensuring chain of custody.
Perform preliminary analysis to identify potential steganographic techniques used.
Use specialized software to detect and extract hidden data.
Confirm findings through manual inspection and alternative methods.
Document the process, findings, and methodology in a comprehensive report.
Common tools used for hiding data:
Tools used to find hidden data:
Statistical approaches for detection: