Steganographic practice is usually performed to crack down on currency counterfeiters if authorities get hold of the suspect notes. They can find out which machine they were printed with. This is a method used for stealing the intellectual property of the users.
Steganography comes in various forms such as digital stenography, audio stenography, picture steganography, video stenography, etc. In this article, we will learn about ways to know how to detect stenography in the business.
About detection of steganography
If steganography is suspected, then the investigator who detects steganography feels that it may comprise of hidden information, and that he would not be able to uncover the data. It is important to be equipped with the right set of steganographic tools, to figure out the encrypted data or algorithm beforehand.
We can see a wide range of techniques and encryption software applications being designed and developed outside of the public sphere. Intelligence agencies, criminal’s gangs, and terrorist networks are some of the common sources that lead to it.
Despite this, there are several analytical tools available that can be applied when an organization suspects that steganography is used for hiding messages. The selection of the tool is dependent on the type of techniques used for the concealment of the data.
Ways to detect physical steganography
In terms of invisible ink, the method of detection is dependent on the type of invisible ink that was being used. If physical steganography is not done properly then it will leave scratch marks on the paper. There can also be a visible change in its texture that will change the reflection at the site where the writing is hidden.
If there is a suspicion that the message contains invisible ink, then it has to be first inspected visually and later smell for any form of irregularities. Now the message has to be passed under the UV light that will show a wide range of invisible ink. The message is later subjected to heat that could show different types of ink.
How to detect digital steganography?
Digital steganography is highly tough to uncover as there are many encryption software for computers. One of the big indications of the use of software on someone’s computer is when they see several steganography-related sites. It gets logged in their browser history. There is a straightforward method to detect this type of steganographic modification.
It can be done by comparing the hash of the original file with the suspicious file. If there is a difference between both these versions, then it indicates that the files have been modified, and it may comprise any hidden data. Alternatively, changes made with steganography software can be identified via statistical analysis.
Conclusion
Steganography can get highly difficult to detect when there is no reason to doubt. In the digital world, a lot of information passes through our eyes and we don’t have the time to scrutinize everything, and it appears to be legitimate. Though there has been a significant improvement in detection technology and are being actively researched, the very nature of steganography makes it tough to detect it successfully in the business.