SY0-301 · Question #399
A security analyst discovered data such as images and word documents hidden within different types of files. Which of the following cryptographic concepts describes what was discovered?
The correct answer is C. Steganography. Steganography is the cryptographic concept of concealing secret data within ordinary, non-secret files such as images or documents. Unlike encryption, it hides the existence of the data rather than scrambling its contents.
Question
A security analyst discovered data such as images and word documents hidden within different types of files. Which of the following cryptographic concepts describes what was discovered?
Options
- ASymmetric encryption
- BNon-repudiation
- CSteganography
- DHashing
How the community answered
(21 responses)- B5% (1)
- C90% (19)
- D5% (1)
Why each option
Steganography is the cryptographic concept of concealing secret data within ordinary, non-secret files such as images or documents. Unlike encryption, it hides the existence of the data rather than scrambling its contents.
Symmetric encryption scrambles data using a shared key to make it unreadable, but it does not hide data inside another file type.
Non-repudiation provides proof of origin for messages or transactions and has nothing to do with hiding data within files.
Steganography involves embedding hidden data within a carrier file (such as a PNG image or Word document) in a way that is not visually apparent, so the file appears normal to casual inspection. The security analyst discovered this classic steganographic technique where the cover medium conceals the payload data within its structure.
Hashing produces a fixed-length digest of data for integrity verification purposes and cannot be used to hide data inside other files.
Concept tested: Steganography - hiding data within carrier files
Source: https://www.nist.gov/publications/hiding-secret-messages-images-steganography
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