Steganography obliterator: an attack on the least significant bits

ABSTRACT

Steganography is the art of concealing messages through hidden data that is embedded in a carrier medium. Current steganalysis practices focus on detecting and recovering these pieces of hidden data. This paper focuses on instances when neither detecting nor recovering data is desirable, but on proactively cleansing the cover media from possible steganographic data. To support this need, a proof-of-concept steganography obliterator is designed and implemented to partially or completely remove the hidden message from possible media carriers such as image, video, and audio files.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.4 OPERATING SYSTEMS
      D.4.6 Security and Protection

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.3 INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL
      H.3.3 Information Search and Retrieval

General Terms:
Algorithms, Design, Experimentation, Human Factors, Languages, Legal Aspects, Security, Theory, Verification

Keywords:
computer security, digital copyright management, digital forensics, enterprise application, information hiding, intellectual property, steganography