Final answer:
Steganography is the technique of hiding a file within a cover medium such as an image or audio file. It involves encoding the hidden data into the least significant bits of the cover medium using specialized tools, remaining undetectable to those not intended to find it.
Step-by-step explanation:
How is a File Hidden Using Steganography?
Steganography is the practice of concealing a file, message, image, or video within another file, message, image, or video. The primary objective of steganography is to hide the presence of a message from a third party. This is different from cryptography, which aims to make the content of a message unreadable without a key, but does not necessarily hide the existence of the message itself.
To hide a file using steganography, one may begin by selecting a 'cover medium' that will contain the hidden information. The cover medium could be an image, audio file, video, or any other sufficiently complex file. Then, using a steganographic tool or software, the secret file is encoded into the cover medium. The encoding process involves manipulating bits of the cover medium to include the bits of the secret file. For example, in the case of an image, the least significant bits (LSBs) of the image pixels can be subtly altered to carry the hidden data. To an outside observer, the image looks unchanged. However, with the correct software or knowledge, one can decode the hidden file from the image.
It is important to note that the success of hiding a file using steganography depends on the cover medium's ability to appear 'normal' even after the data has been implanted and the compatibility between the cover medium and the hidden file in terms of size and format.