Study Finds Low Use Of Steganography On Internet

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Study Finds Low Use Of Steganography On Internet

Posted by timothy on Wednesday September 26, 2001 @02:52AM from the maybe-it's-just-not-on-ebay dept.

schnippy writes: "New Scientist reports on new study from the University of Michigan that argues that steganography (the science of obfuscating communications) is not in wide use, or at least not on the 2 million images they scanned on eBay. Earlier this year, USA Today reported that Bin Laden was using steganography to disguise his communications. Full study is available here. Wonder how long before someone sets up a distributed computing client to help search for Bin Laden's secret communications? :p" Niels Provos' research was mentioned in Slashback not long ago, and this article is based on the same research.

19 of 291 comments (clear)

Face it by SpanishInquisition · 2001-09-26 02:54 · Score: 2, Funny

Half of slashdot posts are encrypted evil plots for mass destruction.

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Je t'aime Stéphanie
1. Re:Face it by discogravy · 2001-09-26 03:05 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  people on slashdot think they're so clever, using that rot-26 encryption...
  
  --
  FreeBSD for the impatient.
2. Re:Face it by Jerf · 2001-09-26 03:23 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  'Half of slashdot posts are encrypted evil plots for mass destruction.'
  
  Moderators, beware! That post decrypts to "fr15t p0st!!!" It's not a funny post, it's off-topic! Don't let your points be spent carelessly!
Unintentionally amusing... by marnanel · 2001-09-26 03:07 · Score: 2, Funny

Someone pointed out these paragraphs to me, from the BBC's coverage of this story:

Before now, there has been speculation that Osama Bin Laden has hidden messages in pornographic images posted and swapped on Usenet, eBay and Amazon.

However, after analysing over two million images from eBay, Niels Provos and colleagues from the University of Michigan have said they found no evidence of hidden messages. Mr Provos and his colleagues are now extending their work to check more images.

"No, really, we havehave to look at more pr0n now..."

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GROGGS: alive and well and living in
hasty conclusions? by downerad · 2001-09-26 03:07 · Score: 2, Funny

It seems a bit sketchy to conclude that if something doesn't happen on e-bay, then it must not be happening anywhere else on the internet.
Re:steganography or stegnography? by Jburkholder · 2001-09-26 03:08 · Score: 4, Funny

You know, I read that as stenography and wondered just how bin Laden could possibly use court reporters to hide his communications.

I learnt a new wurd tuhday!
bin Laden's change of heart. by rkischuk · 2001-09-26 03:12 · Score: 2, Funny

Earlier this year, USA Today reported that Bin Laden was using stegnography to disguise his communications.

In other new, Osama bin Laden has unilaterally agreed to stop sending encrypted messages, in advance of forthcoming legislation U.S. legislation restricting cryptography. When approached for a quote, bin Laden quipped, "I no longer wish to be secretive in my communications, from here on, I vow to only Exchange pictures of beautiful American women with my friends in the United States.

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Seen any BadMarketing lately?
News Flash by OzPeter · 2001-09-26 03:12 · Score: 2, Funny

After an extensive search I have concluded that Flying Saucers, Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy don't exist because I couldn't find them.

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I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
Re:Isn't that the point? by Jburkholder · 2001-09-26 03:15 · Score: 4, Funny

>...stenography ... people CAN'T spot the fact that you're using it!
but doesn't that wierd little typewriter usually tip everyone off?
I can help by ellem · 2001-09-26 03:17 · Score: 5, Funny

there has been speculation that Osama Bin Laden has hidden messages in pornographic images posted and swapped on Usenet

If they posted in alt.binaries.erotica.veils or alt.binaries.erotica.bondage.camels between 1990 and 2001 I have every .jpg, .mpg, .avi, .bmp, .pcx, .mov and .html file ever posted. Also I have every .txt, .doc file from alt.stories.erotica.camel.

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This .sig is fake but accurate.
The science of obfuscating communications? by Chas · 2001-09-26 03:25 · Score: 2, Funny

WHAT?

Stenography is nothing of the sort!

Stenography is shorthand. It's a method of quickly writing information down in an abbreviated form that's still fully comprehensible later.

Part of the problem with not recognizing stenography anymore is the fact that it's no longer really taught in schools. With the advent of compact tape recorders and dictaphones, the need for steno skills pretty much evaporated.

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Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Re:It's not just steganography, it's encryption by clary · 2001-09-26 03:34 · Score: 3, Funny

I know a group of guys who were literally taking all of the porn off of the alt.binaries newsgroups to look for hidden messages, but gave up do to the volune, the low chance of actually getting a hit, etc.
Yeah, right...they were downloading porn to look for hidden messages. I can hear it now: "Hey man, I think I found a hidden message. Can you decode it for me? ...my hands are full."

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"Rub her feet." -- L.L.
Hmm...research as excuse for gaming? by clary · 2001-09-26 03:42 · Score: 4, Funny

The thought occurred to me that conspirers could meet on a FPS server (Quake, Unreal, whatever), and communicate using gestures. Perhaps shooting a rocket into the third tower from the left means let's meet at the usual place. (Note that you wouldn't want to use the chat feature of the game, since that is probably coded pretty clearly in the game's client/server protocol.) This would be an extremely low-bandwidth approach, but fiendishly difficult to detect.
Well, now it is my patriotic duty to spend time checking out UT servers for potential terrorists!

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"Rub her feet." -- L.L.
1. Re:Hmm...research as excuse for gaming? by Denor · 2001-09-26 07:59 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Well, now it is my patriotic duty to spend time checking out UT servers for potential terrorists!
  
  At first I thought you were joking, but then I went and started up Counterstrike - good god, there are terrorists everywhere in that game!
  
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  -Denor
Re:Read the article by pope+nihil · 2001-09-26 04:03 · Score: 1, Funny

Damn right. That's why I use outguess. Oh wait...

I mean, if I were ever GOING to use stego, I would use some program like outguess...
Just an innocent, ordinary post by Get+Behind+the+Mule · 2001-09-26 04:09 · Score: 3, Funny

Snow White,

The owl howls at midnight.

Rumpelstiltskin

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Always keep a sapphire in your mind
Thees ees, ov course by Pituritus+Ani · 2001-09-26 05:03 · Score: 2, Funny

exactly vot ve vant them to think. Ve make beeg trouble for moose and squirrel for sure now.

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Another proud carrier of the $rtbl flag
Let's see... by magi · 2001-09-26 05:31 · Score: 2, Funny

Overall steganography applications might arise, this harms especially United States' international status considering other matters in neareast geopolitical future or relations you ought understand, really unwanted now!

PS. If you're a terrorist, read the first letters of my above paragraph.
Obfuscation no? by jeff13 · 2001-09-26 08:17 · Score: 2, Funny

Sooo, let me ge this straight.

The report states that the Internet, the most obvious and well known center of lies and obfuscated information, a place so ravaged by dis-information that we as a people may have lost all hope of ever pulling ourselves out of ignorance and delusion, a place where major information providers lie (such as regarding Bin Laden using encrypted JPGs... he never did), and this report...

This report... thing... says Stenography isn't in wide use. WHO CARES! ... Man.