What term describes embedding information into something else for the sole purpose of hiding that information from the casual observer?

What term describes embedding information into something else for the sole purpose of hiding that information from the casual observer?

• A. Steganography
• B. Key escrow
• C. Offset
• D. Rootkit

Answer: (A)

Steganography is embedding information into another object in a way that hides the very existence of the hidden data. The idea is that the carrier—an image, audio file, video, or even document metadata—appears ordinary to a casual observer, so you don’t notice there’s a secret message unless you know where to look or how to extract it. This is different from cryptography, where the data is scrambled to prevent understanding, but the presence of the message is still detectable. For example, small changes in the least significant bits of image pixels or subtle adjustments in audio samples can carry hidden data without noticeably altering the file’s appearance or sound. The goal is concealment, not just protection of content. Key escrow involves storing encryption keys with a trusted third party so authorities can recover data; it’s about access control, not hiding data inside a carrier. Offset is a general term with many meanings in computing and doesn’t describe hiding information. A rootkit hides the presence or activity of malware on a system, which is about concealment on the host, but it isn’t about embedding information inside another object to conceal its existence.

Steganography is embedding information into another object in a way that hides the very existence of the hidden data. The idea is that the carrier—an image, audio file, video, or even document metadata—appears ordinary to a casual observer, so you don’t notice there’s a secret message unless you know where to look or how to extract it. This is different from cryptography, where the data is scrambled to prevent understanding, but the presence of the message is still detectable.

For example, small changes in the least significant bits of image pixels or subtle adjustments in audio samples can carry hidden data without noticeably altering the file’s appearance or sound. The goal is concealment, not just protection of content.

Key escrow involves storing encryption keys with a trusted third party so authorities can recover data; it’s about access control, not hiding data inside a carrier. Offset is a general term with many meanings in computing and doesn’t describe hiding information. A rootkit hides the presence or activity of malware on a system, which is about concealment on the host, but it isn’t about embedding information inside another object to conceal its existence.