StegHash: New Method for Information Hiding in Open Social Networks

Abstract

In this paper a new method for information hiding in open social networks is introduced. The method, called StegHash, is based on the use of hashtags in various open social networks to connect multimedia files (like images, movies, songs) with embedded hidden messages. The evaluation of the system was performed on two social media services (Twitter and Instagram) with a simple environment as a proof of concept. The experiments proved that the initial idea was correct, thus the proposed system could create a completely new area of threats in social networks.

SocialStegDisc: Application of steganography in social networks to create a file system

“…The main client application is the SocialStegDisc Shell terminal, which translates the client queries to appropriate operations of the file directory and operations on files, using the Controller module. In addition, two modules known from StegHash [2] have been used: 1) StegHash Engine -a module responsible for the creation of appropriate addressing of multimedia files with the use of hashtags. 2) Database -contains a set of multimedia files used as a carrier of hidden data.…”

“…This index plays two roles: 1) Unambiguously identifies the object, 2) Identifies the social network in which it is embedded. In the StegHash system [2], addresses were generated by means of any type of permutation generation algorithm, and uniqueness was ensured by rejecting the already drawn addresses. For SocialStegDisc, generation of addresses in a chain must be characterized by restorability with the use of appropriate initial conditions.…”

“…This work is an example of such coupling. In 2016 a new type of a steganographic technique called StegHash was proposed in [2]. In this system, multimedia files placed in open social networks (OSNs) are a carrier of hidden information.…”

“…The essence of the system is the existence of a logical connection between them by means of a mechanism of hashtags, that is text markers in the form of #<tag>, commonly applied in OSNs. In addition, the author of [2] proposes an option of applying the StegHash technique to create a steganographic filesystem analogous to the existing classic filesystems such as FAT (File Allocation Table ) or NTFS (New Technology File System). This work focuses on extending this application of the StegHash method by proposing a new type of technique called SocialStegDisc.…”

Content-based information retrieval and anonymisation in data and multimedia streams

“…Multimedia content can be used as cover objects because of their size. Many authors [256,176,242,164] describe the ability of communication protocols which can be used among users using pictures uploaded to OSNs with embedded information. Although their work is focused on user's privacy, it shows that malicious users can also take advantage of it depending on the embedded information, ranging from terrorist message to child pornography.…”