Wed, 24 May 2006

Finding computer files hidden in plain sight

An interesting application, but as the researchers note, it only detects the possible presence of a hidden bitstream - it can't even explain the methodology to reconstruct it, and it can't decrypt it.

One interesting application would be for the detection of "watermarks" in digital photos. A lot of graphics posted on the web are innocently reused by folks who have no idea where they originated. An application constructed from this technology could tell them with some certainty if the photo was watermarked, even if it couldn't tell you by whom or with what graphics application.

Check out more on steganography at Wikipedia.

Criminals and terrorists are using innocent-looking digital images as a cover to send hidden data. Researchers at the Ames Laboratory's Midwest Forensics Resource Center have developed a method to detect those hidden messages.

(link) [EurekAlert]

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