Hstego

Hard-to-detect image steganography

Cybersecurity & Ethical HackingCMIT

Abstract

Hstego is an open-source Cybersecurity & Ethical Hacking project. Hard-to-detect image steganography. HStego is available as a standalone binary for Linux and for Windows. These binaries have a graphical user interface, although they can be used using the command line. It is built using C. The complete source code is publicly available on GitHub under the MIT License, making it a useful reference for students building a Cybersecurity & Ethical Hacking mini project or final-year project.

1. Introduction

HStego is available as a standalone binary for Linux and for Windows. These binaries have a graphical user interface, although they can be used using the command line.

This tool uses some of the most advanced steganography methods known today, along with an upper limit on the amount of data that can be hidden so that it cannot be reliably detected by modern steganography tools.

2. Objective

Hard-to-detect image steganography

This project demonstrates how C can be applied to a real-world Cybersecurity & Ethical Hacking problem.

4. Technology Stack

C

5. System Requirements

General requirements for this technology stack — check the README for exact versions.

  • Arduino IDE / PlatformIO or a C compiler (gcc)
  • Target board where applicable
  • Git (to clone the repository)

6. Installation & Setup

git clone https://github.com/daniellerch/hstego.git
cd hstego
sudo snap install hstego
sudo snap connect hstego:removable-media
sudo pip3 install imageio numpy scipy pycryptodome numba Pillow
sudo pip3 install git+https://github.com/daniellerch/hstego.git@v0.6.1
sudo pip3 uninstall hstego

Full setup instructions are in the project README.

7. Future Enhancements

Suggested extensions you can add to make this your own project.

  • Add logging and alert notifications (email / Telegram)
  • Write a threat model document for the tool
  • Package it with Docker for safe lab testing

8. Viva / Review Questions

Common questions examiners ask for projects in this domain.

  1. Which threat or attack does this project defend against?
  2. What detection or protection technique is used and what are its limits?
  3. How are false positives and false negatives handled?
  4. Which cryptographic algorithms or security standards are involved?
  5. What legal and ethical rules apply when testing a tool like this?

9. Source Code & License

This project is developed by daniellerch and published on GitHub under the MIT License. Please follow the license terms and credit the original author when you use or modify this code.

View Source on GitHubDownload ZIP

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