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Steganography: the art of hiding information in plain sight…
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What is steganography?
Steganography is a very old practice that allowed to hide messages and data into simple text. The first known case of steganography is in the stories of Herodotus. Initially it was based on physical concealment of communication also using invisible inks. Today it has translated into a digital field, allowing people to send critical information hidden in seemingly trivial files with techniques like data in Morse code hidden in *.mp3 files or digital signs in pictures.
Nowadays, in actual digital era, interest in the use of steganography can be attributed to need of individuals to shield properly communication through a carrier full of potential listeners. Similarly a digital watermark covers the exigency to maintain absolute control over intellectual property. This growing interest is demonstrated by the amount of available tools to grant easy steganographic techniques to the end user. Further proof is also the rapid increase of research and writes about this subject. The purpose of this document was to discuss some of the most common methods to hide data using common file formats and easily accessible tools as an introduction to the basic concepts of steganography. These discussions should serve as a starting point to explore more complex steganographic techniques, including complex methods used in standard image or audio files.