Multi-Carrier Steganographic Algorithm Using File Fragmentation of FAT FS

Abstract

Steganography is considered to be not only a science, but also a craft of concealing ongoing communication by hiding messages in unsuspicious cover documents, such as texts, digital images, audio and video sequences. Its essential feature is the constant search for - often exceptionally creative - possibilities of concealing information. In computers, steganography often uses secondary memory and exchangeable memory media utilising file systems. This paper deals with the current state of the issues related to information hiding by means of hard disks, being the most important source of forensic data. This paper focuses on information hiding using the File Allocation Table (FAT) file system. It also proposes a novel multi-carrier algorithm of hiding information in file fragmentation. The algorithm provides flexibility of encoding the information to be hidden and makes steps toward optimization that allows reduction of interference with the current state of the file system, represented by the statistical values of the file fragmentation parameters.