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                                            SETGANOGRAPHY

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Created by "Karthik R." Last updated on 10th October 2024

Description :-

LSB (Least Significant Bit) Steganography is a technique used to hide secret information within digital images, audio files, or videos. It operates by modifying the least significant bit (the smallest unit of information) in each byte of the cover media. Because the LSB is the part of the data that causes the least visible or audible change, it’s an ideal place for concealing data without affecting the quality of the media noticeably.   Here’s a breakdown to its key features :-

1. Encoding:

   -> The -e command is used to encoded secret data (such as text or another file) into a cover file (like an image, audio, or video). The process involves altering the least significant bits (LSBs) or some other part of the media to hide the information. -> Usage Example: -> If you want to embed a secret message into an image file:

            gcc *.c -o output && ./output -e beautiful.bmp secret.txt 
                                    or
            gcc *.c -o output && ./output -e beautiful.bmp secret.txt output.bmp                        
   
    -> -e: Encode command to hide data.
    -> beautiful.bmp: The cover file where data will be hidden (e.g., an image).
    -> secret.txt: The secret data to be embedded (e.g., a text file).
    -> output.bmp: The resulting file that contains the hidden message and mentioning the file name is user 
        choice and it is not nessery.
   

   -> output:

            ------------------------------------------------------------
                            Steganography : Encoding
            ------------------------------------------------------------
            INFO: Encoding operation requested....
            INFO: Varifying file names....
            INFO: Valid source file beautiful.bmp found
            INFO: Valid source file secret.txt found
            INFO: Creating output file as default
            INFO: Created stego.bmp
            INFO: Validation of file names completed
            -------------------  Varifying the data  -------------------
            INFO: Accessing the files....
            INFO: Opening all the necessary files....
            INFO: Opened beautiful.bmp
            INFO: Opened secret.txt
            INFO: Opened stego.bmp
            INFO: All files successfully opened
            INFO: beautiful.bmp size is 2359296 Bytes
            INFO: secret.txt size is 58 Bytes
            INFO: beautiful.bmp size enough to handel secret.txt data
            ---------------  Encoding Procedure Started  ---------------
            INFO: Copying Image Header....
            INFO: Image header successfully copied
            INFO: Encodeing Magic String Signature....
            INFO: Magic String Signature successfully encoded
            INFO: Encoding .txt size....
            INFO: Successfully encoded .txt size
            INFO: Encoding .txt extention....
            INFO: Successfully encoded .txt extention
            INFO: Encoding secret.txt file size....
            INFO: Successfully encoded secret.txt file size
            INFO: Encoding secret.txt file Data....
            INFO: Successfully encoded secret.txt file data
            INFO: Copying left over data....
            INFO: Successfully codied remainig left over data
            --------------  Encoding Procedure Completed  --------------
   

2. Decoding:

   -> The -d command is used to decode the hidden data from a steganographically modified file. This process reads the bits that were altered during the encoding process to retrieve the original hidden message. -> Usage Example: -> If you want to extract a hidden message from a stego image:

                gcc *.c -o output && ./output -d stego.bmp sectret_file.txt
    -> d: Decode command to extract the hidden data.
    -> stego.png: The steganographic file containing hidden data.
    -> sectret_file.txt: The output file where the extracted message will be saved and mentioning the file 
       name is user choice and it is not nessery.
   

   -> Output:

            ------------------------------------------------------------
                            Steganography : Decoding
            ------------------------------------------------------------
            INFO: Decoding operation requested....
            INFO: Varifying file names....
            INFO: Valid source file stego.bmp found
            INFO: Creating output file as default
            INFO: Created stego_secret.txt
            INFO: Validation of file names completed
            -------------------  Varifying the data  -------------------
            INFO: Accessing the files....
            INFO: Opening all the necessary files....
            INFO: Opened stego.bmp
            INFO: Opened stego_secret.txt
            INFO: All files successfully opened
            ---------------  Decoding Procedure Started  ---------------
            INFO: Decoding Magic string signature....
            INFO: Magic string signature successfully decoded
            INFO: Decoding secret file extention size.....
            INFO: Successfully decoded extention size i.e. 4 Bytes
            INFO: Decoding secret file extention....
            INFO: Successfully encoded .txt extention
            INFO: Decoding secret file size.....
            INFO: Successfully decoded secret file size i.e. 58 Bytes
            INFO: Decoding secret file data....
            INFO: Successfully decoded the secrect file data
            INFO: Decoded data is copied to file stego_secret.txt
            --------------  Decoding Procedure Completed  --------------
   

3. If commands are wrong:

            ------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Steganography
            ------------------------------------------------------------
            ERROR: Invalid operation requested....
            ERROR: Encoding - minimum 4 arguments required
            ERROR: Decoding - minimum 3 arguments required
   

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Files enclosed :-

1. encode.h
2. decode.h
3. types.h
4. common.h
5. decode.c
6. encode.c
7. main.c
8. beautiful.bmp
9. secret.txt
10. description.txt

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                                            THE END

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