Opening shots in the war on Steganography

nnburk nnburk at dtgnet.com
Fri Oct 5 01:32:32 EDT 2001


http://abcnews.go.com/sections/primetime/DailyNews/PRIMETIME_011004_steganography.html


A Secret Language

Hijackers May Have Used Secret Internet Messaging Technique

By Brian Ross


Oct. 4 — The terrorists responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks may have
communicated over the Internet using a computer version of invisible ink
that allows secret messages to be concealed in image and music files. 

Western intelligence officials say they have learned that instructors at
Osama bin Laden's camps in remote Afghanistan train his followers in the
high-tech secret-messaging technique.

And French investigators believe that suspects arrested in an alleged
plot to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Paris were to get the go-ahead for
the attack via a message hidden in a picture posted on the Internet,
former French defense official Alexis Debat told ABCNEWS. 

One of the men in custody, described by French officials as a computer
nerd well-versed in the messaging technique, was captured with a
notebook full of secret codes. "This code book is major breakthrough in
the investigation," said Debat. 

Covered Writing

To transmit a hidden message, the sender uses specialized software to
hide a text message — or a graphical file such as a building plan —
inside another file, such as an image file or an MP3 music file. 

"Criminal organizations, terrorist organizations around the world use
this," said Chet Hosmer, an Internet security expert who has been
helping the FBI and military intelligence since Sept. 11 track down
hidden communications on the Internet. 

"Images that might be in an e-mail message that I send to you, that has
a picture of my dog or my cat — I hide an actual secret message inside
that image that no one else would be able to detect or see," Hosmer
said.

For example, with a few clicks and the right password, a terrorist could
use a picture of the Mona Lisa, or an MP3 of the U.S. national anthem,
to carry a secret coded message, such as a seating chart for an airliner
or a list of flights out of Boston.

The technique is known as "steganography," meaning covered writing.

"It actually goes back to Roman times when they used to shave the head
of messengers, and tattoo secret messages on their scalp," said Hosmer.
"It really doesn't have very many legitimate purposes. The purpose is to
actually hide the fact that you are communicating." 

Instructions Via E-mail

In addition to low-tech equipment like box-cutters, the alleged
hijackers in the Sept. 11 attacks also had e-mail accounts at Yahoo! and
Hotmail.

Suspected ringleader Mohamed Atta was seen repeatedly by witnesses using
his Hotmail account at public libraries in Florida to surf the Internet,
downloading what appeared to be pictures of children and scenes of the
Middle East. 

Special FBI squads are working full-time on the Internet connections of
the 19 alleged hijackers, going through accounts at America Online and
other service providers.

Investigators are also searching cyberspace for more deadly messages and
warnings that could help them take precautions against future terrorist
attacks.



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