INFOSEC Technologies, LLC has initiated a funded research project on Covert Channel detection mechanisms and steganographic system identification via unique signatures. There are many covert channels in networks, and we will investigate these as correlate with our ( and clients) interests in steganographic techniques.

CREATION

The following are brief descriptions of various freeware and shareware covert channels tools included in the Steganography and Watermarking Table.

WINDOWS

• Blindside (Freeware) - Uses BMP carrier files and includes encryption.
• BMP Secrets (Freeware) - Uses BMP carrier files and includes encryption.
• Cameleon (Freeware) - French language tool that uses GIF carrier files and includes encryption.
• Camera/Shy v0.2.23.1 (Freeware) - Scans for and delivers decrypted content from the Internet.
• Camouflage (Freeware) - Can hide information in any digital file type by inserting it after the end of file marker. Information hidden this way will not affect how the carrier looks or behaves, although it will increase file size. Includes password protection.
• Contraband Hell Edition (Freeware) - Uses BMP carrier files and includes encryption.
• Courier v1.0a (Freeware) - Uses BMP carrier files.
• CryptArkan (Shareware) - Uses WAV and BMP carrier files; hidden data can be directly read off an audio CD. Includes encryption.
• Data Privacy Tools (Freeware) Uses BMP carrier files and includes encryption.
• Data Stash (Shareware) - Uses BMP and database carrier files and includes password protection.
• Digital Picture Envelope v1.0 (Freeware) - Uses BMP carrier files.
• Encrypt Pic (Shareware) - Uses 24-bit BMP carrier files and includes encryption.
• Gif-it-Up (Freeware) - Uses GIF carrier files and includes encryption.
• Gifshuffle v2.0 (Freeware) - A command-line tool that uses GIF carrier files and includes encryption.
• Hermetic Stego (Shareware) - Uses BMP carrier files. The developers claim their stego key makes the payload undetectable.
• Hide and Seek for Win95 (Shareware) - Uses BMP carrier files and includes encryption and file wiping.
• Hide4PGP v2.0 (Freeware) - A command-line tool that uses BMP, WAV, and VOC carrier files.
• Hide In Picture 2.0 (Freeware) - USes BMP carrier files and includes encryption.
• ImageHide (Freeware) - Uses a variety of image carrier files.
• In Plain View (Freeware) - Uses BMP carrier files and includes password protection.
• In The Picture (Shareware) - Uses BMP carrier files and includes encryption.
• InfoStego (Freeware)- Uses BMP carrier files; includes encryption.
• Invisible Secrets v4.0 (Shareware) - Uses JPEG, PNG, BMP, HTML and WAV carrier files. Includes encryption, shredder, password manager and self-decrypting archives.
• JPegX (Freeware) - Uses JPEG carrier files and includes encryption and password protection.
• JP Hide and Seek (Freeware) - Uses JPEG carrier files and includes encryption.
• JSteg Shell v2.0 (Freeware) - Uses JPEG carrier files; includes encryption.
• MP3Stego (Freeware) - Uses MP3 carrier files.
• PGPn123 (Freeware) - A tool that facilitates using PGP for Eudora, Agent, or Pegasus Mail and also includes a steganography option.
• PhotoCrypt 1.1 (Freeware) - Uses BMP carrier files.
• Sam's Big Play Maker (Freeware) - A text generation tool that converts a message into an output that looks like a play.
• Scramdisk (Freeware) - A disk encryption program that allows the creation and use of virtual encrypted drives.
• Scytale 32bit (Freeware) - A PGP shell program that uses PCX carrier files.
• SecurEngine 4.0 (Freeware) - Uses BMP, JPEG, WAV, and txt files as carrier files. Includes encryption, file wiping, a password manager, and self-decrypting archives.
• Stash-It v1.1 (Freeware) - Uses BMP, GIF, TIFF, PNG or PCX carrier files.
• Steghide 0.4.6b (Freeware) - Uses BMP, WAV and AU carrier files. Includes encryption.
• Stego-Lame (Freeware) - Uses various audio formats as carrier files. Written in Windows C source code; must be compiled before use.
• S-Tools 4 - (Freeware) - Uses BMP, GIF, and WAV carrier files; includes password and encryption options.
• The Third Eye (Freeware) - Uses BMP, GIF, and PCX carrier files and includes encryption
• wbStego4.3open (Freeware) - Uses BMP, TXT, HTML/XML, and PDF carrier files for both Windows and Unix. Includes a Wizard interface, encryption, and passphrase support.
• WeavWav (Freeware) - Uses WAV carrier files.

UNIX/LINUX

• Blindside (Freeware) - Uses BMP carrier files and includes encryption.
• Covert TCP (Freeware) - Uses TCP packets as carrier files.
• Gifshuffle (Freeware) - Uses GIF carrier files and includes encryption.
• Hide4PGP v2.0 (Freeware) - A command-line tool that uses BMP, WAV, and VOC carrier files.
• Hydan (Freeware) - Uses executables as carrier files.
• JP Hide and Seek (Freeware) - Uses JPEG carrier files and includes encryption.
• JSteg (Freeware) - Uses JPEG carrier files.
• MandelSteg (Freeware) - Uses GIF carrier files.
• MP3Stego (Freeware) - Output is an MP3 carrier file.
• Nicetext (Freeware) - Text generation tool that converts a message into an innocuous message.
• Outguess v0.2 (Freeware) - Uses JPEG carrier files.
• PGMStealth (Freeware) - Uses PGM grayscale carrier files.
• Piilo (Freeware) - Uses PGM grayscale carrier files.
• Snow (Freeware) - Uses text files as carriers.
• Stealth (Freeware) - A utility that removes the header information from PGP messages, leaving only the encrypted data which may then be hidden.
• Steganosaurus (Freeware) - A text-based steganography tool.
• StegFS (Freeware) - Uses Linux file system for hiding information.
• Steghide 0.3, Release 1 (Freeware) - Uses BMP, WAV and AU carrier files. Includes encryption.
• StegParty (Freeware) - Hides information by making changes in text.
• Stegtunnel (Freeware) - Uses TCP packets as carrier files.
• Texto (Freeware) - Text generation tool that converts a message into an innocuous message.
• Visual Cryptography (Freeware) - Hides information in two image files that must be layered to reveal.
• wbStego4open (Freeware) - Uses BMP/TXT/HTML/PDF carrier files

MACINTOSH

• FatMacPGP 2.6.3 (Freeware) - A version of MacPGP which includes the ability to remove header information, leaving only the encrypted data which may then be hidden.
• Mimic Functions (Freeware) - Text generation tool that converts a message into an innocuous message.
• Paranoid (Freeware) - An encryption tool that also allows the hiding of information in audio files.
• Stego (Shareware) - Uses Macintosh PICT carrier files.

DOS

• Data Privacy Tools (Freeware) Uses BMP carrier files and includes encryption.
• dc-Steganograph (Freeware) - Uses PCX carrier files.
• Empty Pic (Freeware) - Uses GIF carrier files.
• FFEncode (Freeware) - Uses TXT carrier files.
• GZSteg (Freeware) - Uses GZip carrier files.
• Hide4PGP v2.0 (Freeware) - A command-line tool that uses BMP, WAV, and VOC carrier files.
• Hide and Seek v5.0 (Freeware) - Uses GIF carrier files.
• Hide In Picture 2.0 (Freeware) - USes BMP carrier files and includes encryption.
• HideIT (Freeware) - Uses BMP carrier files.
• JP Hide and Seek (Freeware) - Uses JPEG carrier files and includes encryption.
• JSteg (Freeware) - Uses TGA carrier files with a JPEG output.
• MP3Stego (Freeware) - Output is an MP3 carrier file.
• Pretty Good Envelope v2.0 (Freeware) - Can hide information in any digital file type by inserting it at the end of the file.
• Snow (Freeware) - Uses text files as carriers.
• Stealth (Freeware) - A utility that removes the header information from PGP messages, leaving only the encrypted data which may then be hidden.
• Steganos v1.4 (Freeware) - Uses BMP, WAV, VOC and ASCII carrier files.
• StegoWav (Freeware) - Uses WAV carrier files and includes encryption.
• Texto (Freeware) - Text generation tool that converts a message into an innocuous message.
• White Noise Storm (Freeware) - Uses PCX carrier files and includes encryption.

DETECTION

The following are brief descriptions of various freeware and shareware detection and analysis tools included in the Steganography and Watermarking Table.

WINDOWS

• 2Mosaic (Freeware) - A tool that corrupts embedded information in files (e.g., digital watermarks).
• Gargoyle (Demo) - a tool designed to scan for malware on target systems.
• GIMP (Freeware) - Software that allows image manipulation tasks such as photo retouching, image composition and authoring.
• LADS (Freeware) - A tool that allows the listing of all alternate data streams associated with an electronic file.
• Stegdetect (Freeware) - A steganography detection tool for JPEG images.
• StirMark (Freeware) - A breaking tool that removes embedded information from files (e.g., digital watermarks).
• UnZign (Freeware) - A breaking tool that removes embedded information from files (e.g., digital watermarks).

UNIX/LINUX

• GIMP (Freeware) - Software that allows image manipulation tasks such as photo retouching, image composition and authoring.
• Stegdetect (Freeware) - A steganography detection tool for JPEG images.
• StirMark (Freeware) - A breaking tool that removes embedded information from files (e.g., digital watermarks).
• UnZign (Freeware) - A breaking tool that removes embedded information from files (e.g., digital watermarks).

MACINTOSH

• GIMP (Freeware) - Software that allows image manipulation tasks such as photo retouching, image composition and authoring.
• StirMark (Freeware) - A breaking tool that removes embedded information from files (e.g., digital watermarks).

DOS

• StirMark (Freeware) - A breaking tool that removes embedded information from files (e.g., digital watermarks).
• UnZign (Freeware) - A breaking tool that removes embedded information from files (e.g., digital watermarks).

Steg and Watermarking Tools

Data Hiding

• Information Leakage Caused by Hidden Data in Published Documents
  Simon Byers
• On data hiding and recovery on Linux systems
• Simple hiding data in SPAM
• Steganalysis: Investigation of Hidden Information
• Steganography-based Forensics Techniques Using Encase 4.0
• S-Tools
• Techniques of Steganography in Open-ended Systems:Pure, secret key, and public key steganography
• The Coroner's Toolkit and related utililities
• Weak steganography

PDF

• Adaptive Steganography, R. Chandramouli, G. Li and N. Memon, Security and Watermarking of Multimedia Contents, San Jose, CA, February 2002.
• Image Steganography and Steganalysis: Concepts and Practice, R. Chandramouli, M. Kharrazi, N. Memon, International Workshop on Digital Watermarking, Seoul, October 2003.
• Steganographic Capacity from an Active Steganalysis Perspective, R. Chandramouli, N. Memon. Security and Watermarking of Multimedia Contents, Santa Clara, CA, January 2003.
• Steganography in JPEG2000 compressed images Po-Chyi Su; Kuo, C.-C.J. Consumer Electronics, IEEE Transactions on, Vol.49, Iss.4, Nov. 2003 Pages: 824- 832
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• Cover Selection for Steganographic Embedding, M. Kharrazi, H. T. Sencar, N. Memon, IEEE International Conference on Image Processing, 2006.
• Improving Steganalysis by Fusion Techniques: A Case Study with Image Steganography, M. Kharrazi, T. H. Sencar, N. Memon, EI SPIE San Jose, CA, January 15-19, 2006.
• PSteg: steganographic embedding through patching, K. Petrowski, M. Kharrazi, H. T. Sencar, N. Memon, IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, Philadelphia, PA, March, 2005.
• Steganography using multiple-base notational system and human vision sensitivity
  Xinpeng Zhang; Shuozhong Wang Signal Processing Letters, IEEE, Vol.12, Iss.1, Jan. 2005 Pages: 67- 70
• Steganalysis of Halftone Images, M. Jiang, E. K. Wong, N. Memon, X. Wu, IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, Philadelphia, PA, March, 2005.
• Steganalysis of Degraded Document Images, M. Jiang, E. K. Wong, N. Memon, X. Wu, IEEE International Workshop on Multimedia Signal Processing, Shanghai, October, 2005.
• Benchmarking steganographic and steganalysis techniques, M. Kharrazi, T. H. Sencar, N. Memon, EI SPIE San Jose, CA, January 16-20, 2005.
• A LSB steganography detection algorithm
  Li Zhi; Sui Ai Fen; Yang Yi Xian Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications, 2003. PIMRC 2003. 14th IEEE Proceedings on, Vol.3, Iss., 7-10 Sept. 2003 Pages: 2780- 2783 vol.3
• The use of watermarks in the protection of digital multimedia products Voyatzis, G.; Pitas, I. Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol.87, Iss.7, Jul 1999 Pages:1197-1207 Spread spectrum image steganography Marvel, L.M.; Boncelet, C.G., Jr.; Retter, C.T. Image Processing, IEEE Transactions on, Vol.8, Iss.8, Aug 1999 Pages:1075-1083
• Digital steganography: hiding data within data Artz, D. IEEE Internet Computing, Vol.5, Iss.3, May/Jun 2001 Pages:75-80
• Blind consistency-based steganography for information hiding in digital media Hairong Qi; Snyder, W.E.; Sander, W.A. Multimedia and Expo, 2002. ICME '02. Proceedings. 2002 IEEE International Conference on, Vol.1, Iss., 2002 Pages: 585- 588 vol.1  
• High capacity and secure digital steganography to palette-based images Niimi, M.; Noda, H.; Kawaguchi, E.; Eason, R.O. Image Processing. 2002. Proceedings. 2002 International Conference on, Vol.2, Iss., 2002 Pages: II-917- II-920 vol.2
• Application of bit-plane decomposition steganography to JPEG2000 encoded images Noda, H.; Spaulding, J.; Shirazi, M.N.; Kawaguchi, E. Signal Processing Letters, IEEE, Vol.9, Iss.12, Dec 2002 Pages: 410- 413
• JPEG compression immune steganography using wavelet transform Xu, J.; Sung, A.H.; Shi, P.; Liu, Q. Information Technology: Coding and Computing, 2004. Proceedings. ITCC 2004. International Conference on, Vol.2, Iss., 5-7 April 2004 Pages: 704- 708 Vol.2
• Chaos based spread spectrum image steganography Satish, K.; Jayakar, T.; Tobin, C.; Madhavi, K.; Murali, K. Consumer Electronics, IEEE Transactions on, Vol.50, Iss.2, May 2004 Pages: 587- 590
• Transform domain steganography detection using fuzzy inference systems Munirajan, V.K.; Cole, E.; Ring, S. Multimedia Software Engineering, 2004. Proceedings. IEEE Sixth International Symposium on, Vol., Iss., 13-15 Dec. 2004 Pages: 286- 291
  
• Application of BPCS steganography to wavelet compressed video Noda, H.; Furuta, T.; Niimi, M.; Kawaguchi, E. Image Processing, 2004. ICIP '04. 2004 International Conference on, Vol.4, Iss., 24-27 Oct. 2004 Pages: 2147- 2150 Vol. 4
  
• A testbed for evaluating security and robustness of steganography techniques Tariq Al Hawi; Mahmoud Al Qutayri; Hassan Barada Circuits and Systems, 2003. MWSCAS '03. Proceedings of the 46th IEEE International Midwest Symposium on, Vol.3, Iss., 27-30 Dec. 2003 Pages: 1583- 1586 Vol. 3
  
• A Secure Image Steganography using LSB, DCT and Compression Techniques on Raw Images Raja, K.B.; Chowdary, C.R.; Venugopal, K.R.; Patnaik, L.M. Intelligent Sensing and Information Processing, 2005. ICISIP 2005. Third International Conference on, Vol., Iss., 14-17 Dec. 2005 Pages: 170- 176
  
• A secure LSB steganography system defeating sample pair analysis based on chaos system and dynamic compensation Xiangyang Luo; Zongyun Hu; Can Yang; Shanqing Gao Advanced Communication Technology, 2006. ICACT 2006. The 8th International Conference, Vol.2, Iss., 20-22 Feb. 2006 Pages: 6
• A New Approach to Persian/Arabic Text Steganography Shirali-Shahreza, M.H.; Shirali Shahreza, M. Computer and Information Science, 2006. ICIS-COMSAR 2006. 5th IEEE/ACIS International Conference on, Vol., Iss., 10-12 July 2006 Pages: 310- 315
  
• Collage Steganography Shirali-Shahreza, M.; Shirali-Shahreza, S. Computer and Information Science, 2006. ICIS-COMSAR 2006. 5th IEEE/ACIS International Conference on, Vol., Iss., 10-12 July 2006 Pages: 316- 321
  
• Stealth steganography in SMS Shahreza, S. Wireless and Optical Communications Networks, 2006 IFIP International Conference on, Vol., Iss., 11-13 April 2006 Pages: 5 pp.-
  
• A Robust BPCS-Steganography against the Visual Attack Niimi, M.; Noda, H.; Segee, B. Information, Communications and Signal Processing, 2005 Fifth International Conference on, Vol., Iss., 06-09 Dec. 2005 Pages: 1116- 1120
  
• A New Genetic Algorithm Approach for Secure JPEG Steganography Fard, A.M.; , Mohammad-R.; , Akbarzadeh-T.; Varasteh-A., F. Engineering of Intelligent Systems, 2006 IEEE International Conference on, Vol., Iss., 22-23 April 2006 Pages: 1- 6
  
• Analysis of Current Steganography Tools: Classifications & Features Ming Chen; Ru Zhang; Xinxin Niu; Yixian Yang Intelligent Information Hiding and Multimedia Signal Processing, 2006. IIH-MSP '06. International Conference on, Vol., Iss., Dec. 2006 Pages:384-387
  
• Determining Achievable Rates for Secure, Zero Divergence, Steganography Sullivan, K.; Solanki, K.; Manjunath, B.S.; Madhow, U.; Chandrasekaran, S. Image Processing, 2006 IEEE International Conference on, Vol., Iss., Oct. 2006 Pages:121-124
  
• A testbed for evaluating security and robustness of steganography techniques Tariq Al Hawi; Mahmoud Al Qutayri; Hassan Barada Circuits and Systems, 2003. MWSCAS '03. Proceedings of the 46th IEEE International Midwest Symposium on, Vol.3, Iss., 27-30 Dec. 2003 Pages: 1583- 1586 Vol. 3
  
• An attack to BPCS-steganography using complexity histogram and countermeasure Niimi, M.; Ei, T.; Noda, H.; Kawaguchi, E.; Segee, B. Image Processing, 2004. ICIP '04. 2004 International Conference on, Vol.2, Iss., 24-27 Oct. 2004 Pages: 733- 736 Vol.2
• Development of VHDL-based core with embedded steganography function Vasiltsov, I.V.; Karpinskyy, M.P.; Sagan, A.M. CAD Systems in Microelectronics, 2003. CADSM 2003. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference. The Experience of Designing and Application of, Vol., Iss., 18-22 Feb. 2003 Pages: 260- 261
  
• Detection of block DCT-based steganography in gray-scale images Manikopoulos, C.; Yun-Qing Shi; Sui Song; Zheng Zhang; Zhicheng Ni; Dekun Zou Multimedia Signal Processing, 2002 IEEE Workshop on, Vol., Iss., 9-11 Dec. 2002 Pages: 355- 358  
• Is image steganography natural? Martin, A.; Sapiro, G.; Seroussi, G. Image Processing, IEEE Transactions on, Vol.14, Iss.12, Dec. 2005 Pages: 2040- 2050
• Toward a theory of Steganography 
• Semantics-Preserving Application-Layer Protocol Steganography
• Forensic Steganalysis: Determining the Stego Key in Spatial Domain Steganography
• Image Steganography: Concepts and Practice
• Steganography Capacity: A Steganalysis Perspective
• Developments in Steganography
• A Communications Approach to Image Steganograpy
• Behind The Music: Principles Of Audio Steganography Chris Matthews SE 4C03 Winter 2003 April 4, 2003
• Practical Internet Steganography: Data Hiding in IP
• Towards Linguistic Steganography: A Systematic Investigation of Approaches, Systems, and Issues
• Steganography - Messages Hidden in Bits 

Journals

Steganalytic Features for JPEG Compression-Based Perturbed Quantization, G. Gul, A. E. Dirik, I. Avcibas, IEEE Signal Processing Letters, Volume 14, Issue 3, 2007

Detection of Audio Covert Channels using Statistical Footprints of Hidden Messages H. Ozer, B. Sankur, N. Memon, I. Avcibas, Digital Signal Processing, Volume 16, 2006.

Image Steganalysis with Binary Similarity Measures, I. Avcibas, M. Kharrazi, N. Memon, B. Sankur, EURASIP Journal on Applied Signal Processing, Volume 2005, Number 17, 2005.

Data Masking: A New Approach for Steganography?, R. Radhakrishnan, M. Kharrazi, N. Memon, The Journal of VLSI Signal Processing, Volume 41, Number 3, November 2005.

Image Steganography: Concepts and Practice, M. Kharrazi, H. T. Sencar, N. Memon, Lecture Notes Series, Institute for Mathematical Sciences, National University of Singapore, 2004.

A Performance Study of Common Image Steganography and Steganalysis Techniques, M. Kharrazi, H. T. Sencar, N. Memon, Journal of Electronic Imaging, Volume 15, Issue 4, October-December 2006.

Improving Steganalysis by Fusion Techniques: A Case Study with Image Based Steganography, M. Kharrazi, H. T. Sencar, N. Memon, LNCS Transactions on Data Hiding and Multimedia Security I, Volume 4300, 2006.

Books

• Image Steganalysis. R. Chandramouli, and N. Memon. Optical and Digital Techniques for Information Security, Springer Verlag, December 2003.
• Franz, E. and Schneidewind, A. 2004. Adaptive steganography based on dithering. In Proceedings of the 2004 Workshop on Multimedia and Security (Magdeburg, Germany, September 20 - 21, 2004). MM&Sec '04. ACM Press, New York, NY, 56-62.
• Franz, E. and Pfitzmann, A. 2000. Steganography Secure against Cover-Stego-Attacks. In Proceedings of the Third international Workshop on information Hiding (September 29 - October 01, 1999). A. Pfitzmann, Ed. Lecture Notes In Computer Science, vol. 1768. Springer-Verlag, London, 29-46.
• Westfeld, A. Detecting low embedding rates. In Lecture Notes in Computer Science 2137. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2003, 324–339.
• Westfeld, A. F5-Steganographic algorithm: High capacity despite better steganalysis. In Lecture Notes in Computer Science 2137. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2001, 289–302
• Provos, N. and Honeyman, P. Detecting steganographic content on the Internet. In Proceedings of Network and Distributed System Security Symposium (San Diego, Feb. 6–8). Internet Society, Reston, VA, 2002
• Andreas Westfeld, F5 —A Steganographic Algorithm High Capacity Despite Better Steganalysis, LNCS 2137, Springer-Verlag, 2001. Vol 2137, pp. 289-302
• Westfeld A, Pfitzmann A, Attacks on steganographic systems, In Proceedings of 3rd International Workshop on Information Hiding, Lecture Notes on Computer Science 1768, Berlin: Springer-Verlag, pp. 61~75, 2000.
• A. Westfeld and A. Pfitzmann,"Attacks on Steganographic Systems," Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 1768, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2000, pp. 61-75.
• Jessica Fridrich, Miroslav Goljan, Rui Du, "Detecting LSB Steganography in Color and Gray-Scale Images," IEEE MultiMedia, vol. 08,  no. 4,  pp. 22-28,  Oct-Dec,  2001.

Websites

• http://www.citi.umich.edu/projects/steganography/faq.html
• http://www.google.com/patents?hl=en&lr=&vid=USPAT6557103&id=XUcPAAAAEBAJ&oi=fnd&dq=steganography
• http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1684
• http://www.jjtc.com/Steganography/
• http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/DeCSS/Gallery/Stego/index.html
• Steganography: Past, Present, Future
• Bin Laden: Steganography Master?
• Bin Laden exploits technology to suit his needs
• Cyber warfare: Steganography vs. Steganalysis
• MP3Stego: Hiding Text in MP3 Files Mark Noto September 15, 2001Practical Version 1.2
• Cryptography And Steganography Of Video Information In Modern Communications 
• Steganography and steganalysis in voice-over IP scenarios: operational aspects and first experiences with a new steganalysis tool set