An Overview of Steganography for the Computer Forensics Examiner

Abstract

Steganography is the art of covered, or hidden, writing. The purpose of steganography is covert communication-- to hide the existence of a message from a third party. This paper is intended as a high-level technical introduction to steganography for those unfamiliar with the field. It is directed at computer forensics examiners who need a practical understanding of steganography without delving into the mathematics, although references are provided to some of the ongoing research for the individual who needs or wants additional detail. While this paper provides a historical context for stego, the emphasis is on digital applications, focusing on hiding information in on-line image or audio files. Examples of software tools that employ steganography to hide data inside of other