Image Steganography

Abstract

1. Introduction

This script allows to conceal small files inside png images, using a well known steganographic method: hide the data in the least significant bits of an image pixels. This produces little changes to the image that usually aren't noticed by just looking at the image.

Steganography applied to conceal small files inside a PNG image.

2. Objective

Steganography applied to conceal small files inside a PNG image.

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

4. Technology Stack

5. System Requirements

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

• Python 3.8 or later
• pip / virtualenv for dependencies
• VS Code, PyCharm or Jupyter Notebook
• Git (to clone the repository)

6. Installation & Setup

git clone https://github.com/LucaAngioloni/Image_Steganography.git
cd Image_Steganography

usage: Image_Steganography.py [-h] [-e | -d] [-i IMAGE] [-f FILE] [-o OUTPUT]

Conceal small files inside a PNG image and extract them back

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -e, --encode          If present the script will conceal the file in the
                        image and produce a new encoded image
  -d, --decode          If present the script will decode the concealed data
                        in the image and produce a new file with this data
  -i IMAGE, --image IMAGE
                        Path to an image to use for concealing or file
                        extraction
  -f FILE, --file FILE  Path to the file to conceal or to extract
  -o OUTPUT, --output OUTPUT
                        Path where to save the encoded image. Specify only the
                        file name, or use .png extension; png extension will
                        be added automatically

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 LucaAngioloni 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.