The designation refers to a technique of concealing data inside seemingly innocuous knowledge. As an example, directions may be embedded inside picture pixels, audio frequencies, and even textual content formatting that might be undetectable to informal statement. This contrasts with easy encryption by aiming for outright invisibility of the hid knowledge. An instance contains steganography the place a secret message is encoded inside the least important bits of a picture file, leading to negligible visible distortion.
The strategy presents benefits in situations demanding covert communication or knowledge safety. It avoids drawing suspicion in environments the place encrypted messages would possibly appeal to undesirable consideration. Its worth lies within the potential to take care of secrecy by concealing the very existence of the delicate knowledge. Traditionally, strategies like this have been employed in espionage, mental property safety, and even to bypass censorship in restricted communication environments.