Steganography software hides messages by disguising them in another data type. It derives from historical shorthand and can be used to hide data in media files or confuse real data packets with bogus data. There is speculation that terrorists use steganography software, but no clear examples exist.
Steganography software is used to hide electronically transmitted messages. It works differently from more common encryption, which scrambles the data so it can’t be read. The use of steganography software is more about hiding the existence of the data, usually disguising it in the context of another data type.
All forms of steganography software ultimately derive from historical shorthand. This is a wide variety of information masking techniques; the name means “hidden writing”. The purest example of this is invisible ink, although other techniques include hiding the message within another form of communication. Cases where magazine or newspaper editors plant messages, often attacking management, that appear as the first letter of each sentence in an article are a form of steganography.
Similar techniques have been adopted for use in computer communications. They all have the advantage that it’s not immediately clear that the data contains a hidden message. This is in contrast to most secure messaging systems which use encryption so that data is unreadable without its digital key. This can draw attention to the fact that content can be sensitive, particularly when people are communicating.
There are many techniques that can be used in steganography software. One of the simplest is to hide data in a media file. For example, in a highly detailed image file, it is relatively easy to change individual pixels at regular intervals without affecting the appearance of the image at first glance. These pixels can be changed to colors that correspond to a coded message.
Another method of steganography is known as “rubbing and sifting.” This takes advantage of how data is broken up into “packets” as it is sent over networks and the Internet. A sender can confuse real data packets with bogus data, known as chaff. The recipient will need to know which packets to note in order to be able to put them back together to form the completed data. There is some controversy as to whether this technically counts as steganography, as someone intercepting the unfiltered data will likely be able to figure out that something is wrong.
There has been speculation that people involved in terrorism used steganography software. This would make sense for people who know or suspect that their electronic communication is being monitored, as using encryption would make officials suspect that the data contains sensitive material. As of 2010, there were no clear and undisputed examples of terrorists using steganography software.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
