STEGANOGRAPHY

Presented by – Deeksha Singh

Content
• Introduction
• Techniques of Steganography
• Limitation of Steganography
 Introduction

• Steganography is the technique of hiding secret data within an ordinary, non-secret, file or
message in order to avoid detection; the secret data is then extracted at its destination.
• The use of steganography can be combined with encryption as an extra step for hiding or
protecting data.
• The word steganography is derived from the Greek words steganos (meaning hidden or
covered) and the Greek root graph (meaning to write).
• Steganography can be used to conceal almost any type of digital content, including text,
image, video or audio content; the data to be hidden can be hidden inside almost any other
type of digital content. 
 Types of Steganography
1. Text Steganography − There is steganography in text files, which entails secretly storing information. In this
method, the hidden data is encoded into the letter of each word. 

2. Image Steganography − The second type of steganography is image steganography, which entails concealing
data by using an image of a different object as a cover. Pixel intensities are the key to data concealment in image
steganography.

3. Audio Steganography − It is the science of hiding data in sound. Used digitally, it protects against unauthorized
reproduction

4. Video Steganography − Video steganography is a method of secretly embedding data or other files within a
video file on a computer. Video (a collection of still images) can function as the "carrier" in this scheme. Discrete
cosine transform (DCT) is commonly used to insert values that can be used to hide the data in each image in the
video, which is undetectable to the naked eye.

5. Network or Protocol Steganography − It involves concealing data by using a network protocol like TCP, UDP,
ICMP, IP, etc., as a cover object. Steganography can be used in the case of covert channels, which occur in the OSI
layer network model.
 Limitations of Steganography
1.Detection: Steganography aims to hide information in such a way that it remains undetected by
unauthorized individuals. However, there is always a possibility that the hidden information can be
detected using various steganalysis techniques.
2.Capacity: The capacity to hide information within a carrier file is limited. The size of the carrier file
dictates the amount of hidden data that can be concealed.
3.Compatibility: Steganography methods are often specific to certain types of files or formats.
Embedding data in one format may not be possible or may require different techniques for another
format.
4.Robustness: Some steganographic techniques can be vulnerable to data loss or modification. If the
carrier file undergoes compression, resizing, or any other modifications, the hidden information may be
corrupted or lost.
5.Key Management: Steganography often relies on encryption and decryption keys to embed and
extract hidden information. Managing and securely distributing these keys can be a challenge. If the keys
are compromised or fall into the wrong hands, the hidden information can be easily accessed, defeating
the purpose of steganography.
6.Susceptibility to Attacks: Steganography can be vulnerable to attacks such as brute-force attacks,
statistical analysis, or known steganography detection algorithms. Skilled adversaries may employ these
techniques to uncover the hidden information, especially if they suspect the presence of steganography.
 Techniques of Steganography
Least Significant Bit - We have already discussed this technique above. The user who downloads the
file will have the malware introduced in their system allowing the attacker to access the device.
Sandboxes are capable of detecting such corrupt files. However, hackers always find new means, such as
sleep patching, to bypass detection measures.

Palette-based technique- In this technique, digital images are used as malware carriers and attackers
encrypt and conceal a message in a wide palette of the cover image. Despite its limited data capacity, the
palette-based technique can still be a headache for cybersecurity professionals as it takes time to 
decrypt the data.

Secure cover selection- Secure cover selection is quite a complex technique of Steganography that is
used by cybercriminals. They have to compare blocks of the original image to specific blocks of a
specific malware. An exact match is required to carry the malware. The identical match is fitted into the
original image, which makes it extremely difficult to detect the malware with cybersecurity software or
software applications
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