What is Steganography?

Abstract: Steganography is the art and science of writing hidden messages in such a way that no one, apart from the sender and intended recipient, suspects the existence of the message, a form of security through obscurity.[1]

Steganographic technologies are a very important part of the future of Internet security and privacy on open systems such as the Internet. Steganography is a method of hiding a secret message inside of other data. Steganography, derived from Greek, literally means “covered writing.” It includes a vast array of secret communications methods that conceal the message’s very existence. It refers to the science of invisible communication. Unlike cryptography, where the goal is to secure communications from an eaves-dropper, Steganographic techniques strive to hide the very presence of the message itself from an observer. Steganography in the modern day sense of the word usually refers to information or a file that has been concealed inside a digital Picture, Video or Audio file.

Steganography Vs. Cryptography ?

Steganography is often confused with Cryptography because the two are similar in the way that they both are used to protect important information. The difference between the two is that Steganography involves hiding information so it appears that no information is hidden at all. If a person or persons views the object that the information is hidden inside of he or she will have no idea that there is any hidden information, therefore the person will not attempt to decrypt the information. Cryptography scrambles a message so it cannot be understood. Steganography hides the message so it cannot be seen. A message in cipher text, for instance, might arouse suspicion on the part of the recipient while an “invisible” message created with Steganographic methods will not.

Steganography can be used in a large amount of data formats in the digital world of today. The most popular data formats used are .bmp, .doc, .gif, .jpeg, .mp3, .txt and .wav. Mainly because of their popularity on the Internet and the ease of use of the Steganographic tools that use these data formats. These formats are also popular because of the relative ease by which redundant or noisy data can be removed from them and replaced with a hidden message.

Related links:
History of Steganography
Steganography and Related Fields

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