Steganalysis: An Study of an Internet Search Engine and Steganography Detection Program

Steganography is the art of information hiding. In today’s digital age messages can be hidden in images, sound files, text, and other digital objects. To a casual observer, these messages are invisible. The use of steganography on public networks, such as the Internet, is unknown due to its stealthy nature. Unless it is being actively looked for, one would not know that it is there. For example, pop-up ads, photos on Ebay, and other recreational sites, all have the potential of containing hidden messages. Although some groups have taken on the vast responsibility of searching large web sites and news group areas for potential steganographic images, this is not something an average organization would do. Most organizations can and do, however, monitor network traffic that is entering and exiting the local area network. This paper presents a detection framework that includes tools to detect, retrieve, and analyze images for steganographic content as they enter and exit a monitored network. The framework is comprised of the Steg_IDS engine that operates in the UNIX environment. Steg_IDS combines both custom written and third party software and processes to deliver a purpose-built steganography intrusion detection system.