From: Adam Shostack <adam@bwh.harvard.edu>
Date: Fri, 29 Jul 94 09:57:33 PDT
To: vincie@blaze.cs.jhu.edu (Michael Ko)
Subject: Re: What kind of encryption to incorporate?
In-Reply-To: <31b3it$o6i@blaze.cs.jhu.edu>
Message-ID: <199407291656.MAA03632@freud.bwh.harvard.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Michael Ko:

| I'm finishing up on a stegography(sp?) program that uses GIF and WAV
| files. It was inspired by Cypherella's Stego program for the Mac.
| In the program, I incorporate the filename, length, then data to the
| GIF or WAV file. RIght now, I just use a basic secrey key encryption.
| It will XOR each data byte with a byte in the password and repeat this.
| Is there a better way to encrypt the data that is just has easy to code?

	A filename and length give away the fact that something is
hidden.  If you only hide encrypted data, and no plaintext of any
sort, then the file can not be automatically detected; it can ony be
seen by someone who can decrypt it.

	There are lots of real encryption schemes beyond XOR out
there.  Take a look at the source archive in goblin.dsi.unimi.it

Adam


-- 
Adam Shostack 				       adam@bwh.harvard.edu

Politics.  From the greek "poly," meaning many, and ticks, a small,
annoying bloodsucker.