stegano-sec

stegano-sec is a Python-based, offline steganography toolkit for security enthusiasts, CTF players, and researchers. It allows you to hide (encode) and extract (decode) text or files within various media types—such as images (PNG, JPEG), audio (WAV), and plain text files—with no need for external APIs or internet access. The toolkit is designed to be modular, user-friendly, and easily extensible, making it ideal for both educational and practical infosec use.

🆕 Version 3.0.0: Now with AES encryption, BMP support, and enhanced CLI!

Features

Encode and decode messages/files in:
- PNG, JPEG & BMP images (using LSB steganography)
- WAV audio files (LSB steganography)
- Plain text files (whitespace or zero-width character encoding)
🔒 AES Encryption: Optional password-based encryption for hidden messages
Graphical User Interface (GUI) - Easy-to-use tkinter-based interface
Command-line interface (CLI) for easy usage and scripting
Modular codebase for adding new media formats or encoding techniques
Offline & privacy-friendly: No data ever leaves your computer
Modern Python: Full type hints, pathlib usage, and Python 3.8+ compatibility
Developer-friendly: Comprehensive test suite, pre-commit hooks, and linting tools
Pip installable: Can be installed as a proper Python package

Installation

Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/irfan-sec/stegano-sec.git
cd stegano-sec
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/irfan-sec/stegano-sec.git
cd stegano-sec
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install -r requirements-dev.txt  # Optional: for development tools

Package Installation (Future)

# Coming soon: pip install stegano-sec
pip install -e .  # Install in development mode

Usage

GUI (Graphical User Interface)

Launch the user-friendly GUI:

python stegano_sec_gui.py

The GUI provides three tabs:

Encode: Hide messages in images, audio, or text files
Decode: Extract hidden messages from files
Capacity: Check how much data a file can hide

CLI (Command Line Interface)

Encode a message in an image

python stegano_sec.py encode -i input.png -o output.png -m "Secret message here"

Encode with password encryption

python stegano_sec.py encode -i input.png -o output.png -m "Secret message" -p mypassword

Decode a message from an image

python stegano_sec.py decode -i output.png

Decode an encrypted message

python stegano_sec.py decode -i output.png -p mypassword

Encode a file in a WAV audio

python stegano_sec.py encode -i input.wav -o output.wav -f secret.txt

More options

See all available commands and options:

python stegano_sec.py --help

Project Structure

stegano-sec/
├── stegano_sec.py         # CLI entry point
├── stegano_sec_gui.py     # GUI entry point
├── stegano/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── image.py           # Image steganography functions
│   ├── audio.py           # Audio steganography functions
│   ├── text.py            # Text steganography functions
│   ├── crypto.py          # AES encryption/decryption
│   └── utils.py           # Helper utilities
├── requirements.txt
├── README.md
└── examples/
    └── sample.png

Development

Running Tests

# Run basic test suite
python -m pytest tests/

# Run with verbose output
python -m pytest tests/ -v

Code Quality Tools

# Format code with Black
black stegano/ stegano_sec.py tests/

# Sort imports with isort
isort stegano/ stegano_sec.py tests/

# Lint with flake8
flake8 stegano/ stegano_sec.py tests/

# Type checking with mypy
mypy stegano/ stegano_sec.py

Pre-commit Hooks

# Install pre-commit hooks (optional)
pre-commit install

# Run all hooks manually
pre-commit run --all-files

What's New in v3.0.0

🔒 AES Encryption: Password-based encryption using --password flag for both CLI and GUI
🖼️ BMP Support: Added BMP image format for steganography
📋 Version Flag: Added --version / -V CLI flag
🔐 Crypto Module: New stegano/crypto.py with encrypt/decrypt/detect functions
🧪 Expanded Tests: 11 tests covering encryption, BMP support, and core functionality
📦 New Dependency: cryptography library for secure AES encryption

All existing functionality remains fully compatible!

Security Notice

This toolkit is for educational and research purposes. While v3.0.0 adds AES encryption for hidden messages, steganography alone does not provide strong security. The encryption feature adds a layer of protection, but do not rely solely on it for high-security scenarios in adversarial environments.

Contributing

Pull requests, bug reports, and feature suggestions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a PR.

License

MIT License

Credits

Developed by @irfan-sec

irfan-sec/stegano-sec