StegBlocks: ensuring perfect undetectability of network steganography

TL;DR

StegBlocks introduces a new framework for network steganography that enables perfect undetectability by carefully selecting objects within network protocols to carry hidden messages.

Contribution

The paper proposes StegBlocks, a novel general approach for creating perfectly undetectable network steganography methods based on protocol-dependent objects.

Findings

Demonstrates the possibility of perfect undetectability in network steganography

Provides a general methodology adaptable to various network protocols

Lays theoretical foundation for future undetectable steganography techniques

Abstract

The paper presents StegBlocks, which defines a new concept for performing undetectable hidden communication. StegBlocks is a general approach for constructing methods of network steganography. In StegBlocks, one has to determine objects with defined properties which will be used to transfer hidden messages. The objects are dependent on a specific network protocol (or application) used as a carrier for a given network steganography method. Moreover, the paper presents the approach to perfect undetectability of network steganography, which was developed based on the rules of undetectability for general steganography. The approach to undetectability of network steganography was used to show the possibility of developing perfectly undetectable network steganography methods using the StegBlocks concept.