Hiding in plain sight steganography and the art of covert communication Ronald D. Krutz, consulting editor

Steganography, the practice of encoding data into the least significant bit of another file, has become a popular tool for secretly sending and receiving digital messages. This title concerns steganography as it relates to covert communications. Explains exactly what steganography is-hiding a message inside an innocuous picture or music file-and how it has become a popular tool for secretly sending and receiving messages for both the good guys and the bad guys First book to describe international terrorists' cybersecurity tool of choice in an accessible language Author is a top security consultant for the CIA and provides gripping stories that show how steganography works Appendix provides tools to help people detect and counteract stenanography Your hands-on guide to understanding, detecting, and using today s most potent tool for secret communication steganography These days, encryption of confidential data and communications is an increasingly important part of doing business. But steganography can take data confidentiality to a whole new level, since it hides encrypted messages in ordinary-looking data files, making the very existence of the messages practically undetectable. Although steganography is not a new field and has played a critical part in secret communication throughout history, few people understand exactly how it works today. This detailed, practical guide changes that whether your goal is to add an extra level of security to business or government communications or to detect and counter steganography when it s used by criminals or terrorists. By teaching you how to protect your vital data and detect information attacks against networks, Cole aims to expose security threats so you can take action to minimize the damage going forward. He explores such topics as: The basics of cryptography and digital water- marking, two companion technologies that are often used in concert with steganography Who is using steganography and some of the ethical and legal challenges our society faces when privacy and security collide The nuts and bolts of using steganography tools and transmitting hidden data over networks Methods you can use to crack steganography and cryptography "Steganography in Action Stories" fictionalized versions of the kind of secret communication scenarios Cole observed during his years working for the CIA and as a security consultant Ideas for keeping your own communications secure Where steganography is headed in the future The CD-ROM includes not only valuable original source code for steganography techniques discussed in the book, but also several popular steganography tools, and color versions of original and manipulated images from the book for you to compare Hiding in Plain Sight: Steganography and the Art of Covert Communication Contents Acknowledgments About the Author Introduction Part One: Exploring the World of Covert Communication. Chapter 1: Covert Communication: ItáIs All Around You Chapter 2: Cryptography Explained Chapter 3: Hiding the Goods with Steganography Chapter 4: Digital Watermarking. Part Two: The Hidden Realm of Steganography Chapter 5: Steganography at Large Chapter 6: Nuts and Bolts of Steganography Chapter 7: Sending Stego Files across a Network. Part Three: Making Your Own Communications Secure Chapter 8: Cracking Stego and Crypto Chapter 9: Developing Your Secure Communications Strategy Chapter 10: The Future of Steganography. Appendix A: Steganography Source Code Chapter 6 Code Examples Chapter 8 Appendix B: WhatáIs on the CD-ROM System Requirements Using the CD with Windows Using the CD with Linux WhatáIs on the CD.

• Explains exactly what steganography is-hiding a message inside an innocuous picture or music file-and how it has become a popular tool for secretly sending and receiving messages for both the good guys and the bad guys
• First book to describe international terrorists' cybersecurity tool of choice in an accessible language
• Author is a top security consultant for the CIA and provides gripping stories that show how steganography works
• Appendix provides tools to help people detect and counteract stenanography

CD-ROM contains: "valuable original ssource code for steganography techniques discussed in the book" and "several populat steganography tools, and color versions of original and manipulated images form the book."