🔒 Secure Data Hiding in Images Using Steganography

📌 Overview

This project implements image steganography, allowing users to securely hide and retrieve secret messages within an image. Unlike traditional encryption, which makes the presence of secret data obvious, steganography keeps the hidden message undetectable within the image pixels.

🔹 How It Works?

• The message is embedded into an image at the pixel level.
• A password-based authentication system ensures only authorized users can decrypt the hidden data.
• The modified image appears unchanged but secretly contains the message.

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🚀 Key Features

✅ Dual-Layer Security – Message encoding + password protection
✅ Undetectable Message Hiding – Data is concealed inside image pixels
✅ Minimal Image Distortion – No noticeable changes to the original image
✅ Fast & Lightweight – Runs efficiently with minimal system resources
✅ Cross-Platform Compatibility – Works on Windows, Linux, and macOS

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🛠 Technologies Used

Technology	Description
Python 🐍	Main programming language
OpenCV (cv2)	Image processing library
OS (os)	Handles file operations & system commands
String (string)	Character encoding and message storage
Python IDLE	Development environment
GitHub	Version control & project management

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🎯 Who Can Use This Project?

👨‍💻 Cybersecurity Enthusiasts – Learn and experiment with data hiding techniques
🕵️ Journalists & Whistleblowers – Share confidential information securely
🛡 Intelligence & Defense Agencies – Covert data transmission for secure communication
💼 Corporate & Legal Professionals – Protect sensitive business and legal documents
🎓 Students & Researchers – Explore steganography for academic purposes

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📂 Installation & Setup

1️⃣ Install Python

Make sure you have Python 3+ installed. If not, download and install it from Python’s official website.

2️⃣ Install Required Libraries

Use the following command to install OpenCV:
pip install opencv-python

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📝 How to Use?

1️⃣ Hiding a Secret Message in an Image

Run the script and provide the image file name (e.g., Kali.jpg). Enter your secret message that you want to hide. Set a password for decryption security. The script will encode the message and generate an encrypted image (encryptedImage.jpg).

2️⃣ Retrieving the Hidden Message

Run the script again and enter the password for decryption. If the password matches, the original message will be displayed. If the password is incorrect, access is denied.

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🤝 Contributing

🎯 Feel free to fork, modify, and submit a pull request! 🚀

📢 Ways to Contribute

✅ Improve encryption algorithms for better security
✅ Optimize performance for large images
✅ Create a user-friendly Graphical Interface (GUI)

🚀 Happy Hiding & Securing Data! 🔒🎩