Investigation of Scalable Vector Graphics As a Cover Medium For
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AN INVESTIGATION OF SCALABLE VECTOR GRAPHICS AS A COVER MEDIUM FOR STEGANOGRAPHY By Gerard J. Hungerman Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of American University in Partial Fulfillment, of the Requirements for the Degree of M aster of Science In Computer Science Chair: Dr. Michael Gray Dr. Angela Wu ^ i I Dr. Dean McCullough Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Date 2006 American University Washington, D.C. 20016 AMERICAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1439943 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 1439943 Copyright 2007 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. AN INVESTIGATION OF SCALABLE VECTOR GRAPHICS AS A COVER MEDIUM FOR STEGANOGRAPHY BY Gerard J. Hungerman ABSTRACT Cryptography is normally used when security is required in Internet communications, even though its use makes obvious to outside observers that communications are sensitive. If the true desire is for the very existence of sensitive communication to go undetected, then steganography is the answer. W ith steganography, data can be hidden in ordinary digital files such th at any unwanted interceptors of communications are likely to think that all they have are normal messages. A file format that has promise of becoming widely used on the Internet is Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), which supports the delivery of two-dimensional graphical images with rich content. This work proposes algorithms for embedding information into SVG and implements three different approaches, each with variations to further explore the nature of the embedding techniques. Preliminary testing has been conducted to show the viability of SVG as a cover medium for steganography. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge everyone who helped me to reach this point in my academic career. I would like to thank the faculty of the American University Computer Science Department, Dr. Michael Gray and Dr. Angela Wu, for their support and counsel. I would especially like to thank Dr. Dean McCullough not only for his advice and review of this work, but also for his understanding and friendship through the process. Most of all, I want to thank anyone who ever reached out to me when I was in need, whether it was to help at work, home, or to just motivate me to complete this body of work. Thank you Elise for your love and support through this balancing act. Last but certainly not least, I love my family beyond words, and cannot thank them enough for their love and support. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................................ vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . ........................................................................................................ vii LISTINGS ........................................................................................................................................................viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1 2. B A C K G R O U N D .......................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 S teganography ........................................................................................................................ 3 2.1.1 Principles of Steganography ....................................................................................... 4 2.1.2 T echniques ........................................................................................................................ 7 2.1.3 Steganalysis ..................................................................................................................... 9 2.1.4 Attacks............................................................................................................................... 11 2.1.5 Security and Robustness .............................................................................................. 12 2.2 Scalable Vector Graphics .................................................................................................... 13 2.2.1 Raster Im a g e s .................................................................................................................. 13 2.2.2 Vector Im ages .................................................................................................................. 14 2.2.3 The Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) Form at ........................................................... 15 3. COVERT CHANNELS IN SV G ................................................................................................... 22 3.1 Embedding M ethods .............................................................................................................. 23 3.1.1 In s e rtio n ............................................................................................................................ 24 3.1.2 Substitution ..................................................................................................................... 27 3.1.3 Tweaking ............................................................................................................................ 29 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3.1.4 Other Embedding Approaches .................................................................................. 32 3.2 Im p le m e n ta tio n .................................................................................................................... 32 3.2.1 Inserting W hite Space ............................................................................................... 32 3.2.2 Adjusting Least Significant Figures ........................................................................ 34 3.2.3 Reordering Information ............................................................................................... 37 3.3 Test Results ........................................................................................................................... 40 3.3.1 B an d w id th ...................................................................................................................... 41 3.3.2 Visual and Structural Effects ..................................................................................... 44 3.3.3 Compression Testing .................................................................................................. 47 3.3.4 Statistical Analysis ...................................................................................................... 48 4. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK ............................................................................ 51 APPENDIX A. SVG FILES USED IN TESTING .............................................................................................. 53 B. SOURCE C O D E ......................................................................................................................... 58 B.l Overview .................................................................................................................................. 58 B.1.1 Inserting White Space ............................................................................................... 60 B.1.2 Adjusting Least Significant Figures ........................................................................ 60 B.1.3 Reordering Information ............................................................................................... 61 B.1.4 Combining Methods ...................................................................................................... 62 B.2 Source Code Listings ............................................................................................................ 63 REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................................131 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES Table Page