Steganography is the art and science of writing hidden messages in such a way that no one apart from the intended recipient knows of the existence of the message; this is in contrast to cryptography, where the existence of the message itself is not disguised, but the content is obscured.

The word "Steganography" is of Greek origin and means "covered, or hidden writing". Its ancient origins can be traced back to 440 BC. Herodotus mentions two examples of Steganography in The Histories of Herodotus ^*. Demeratus sent a warning about a forthcoming attack to Greece by writing it on a wooden panel and covering it in wax. Wax tablets were in common use then as re-usable writing surface, sometimes used for shorthand. Another ancient example is that of Histiaeus, who shaved the head of his most trusted slave and tattooed a message on it. After his hair had grown the message was hidden. The purpose was to instigate a revolt against the Persians. Later, Johannes Trithemius's book Steganographia is a treatise on cryptography and steganography disguised as a book on black magic.

Generally, a steganographic message will appear to be something else: a picture, an article, a shopping list, or some other message - the covertext. Classically, it may be hidden by using invisible ink between the visible lines of innocuous documents, or even written onto clothing. During World War II a message was once written in morse code along two-colored knitting yarn. Another method is invisible ink underlining, or simply pin pricking of individual letters in a newspaper article, thus forming a message. It may even be a few words written under a postage stamp, the stamp then being the covertext.

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Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:09:07 -0400
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Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:26:55 -0400
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Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:24:03 -0400
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Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:08:25 -0400
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The Seattle Times: Business & Technology

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NYT > Technology

Verizon Wireless Plans to Charge Companies Sending Text Messages
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:53:14 -0000
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CNN.com - Technology

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NPR Topics: Technology

Fast, Citywide WiFi Launches In Baltimore
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:19:00 -0400
The nation's first rollout of WiMax has launched in Baltimore. Host Steve Inskeep talks to tech commentator Mario Armstrong about the fourth generation Internet service. It's a wireless connection that is fast and allows a subscriber to roam across the city.
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BBC News | Technology | UK Edition

Bank turmoil fuels phishing boom
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Reuters Video: Technology

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AP Top Technology News At 12:39 a.m. EDT

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CNET News.com

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