Source Code Steganography in Stegcloak?

[jayrmotta]

Since discovering Stegcloak, I've wondered: can we hide secrets inside source code without drawing attention? This could mean embedding watermarks for plagiarism, tracking license misuse, for educational and enterteinment purposes like a treasure hunt, etc.

Use Cases

• Plagiarism/License Tracking: Embed markers in code to trace unauthorized reuse.
• Stealth Data Storage: Hide metadata in comments or inert code, unnoticed by casual reviewers.

Challenges

• Detection Risks: The method must be completely unobtrusive—any hint of tampering could be exploited.
• Complexity: Source code has its own quirks; embedding data seamlessly is far from trivial.
• Maintenance Overhead: Code evolves. A method that’s subtle today might look glaringly out of place tomorrow.

Integration vs. Separate Tool

• Integrating with Stegcloak:
  • Pros: Taps into an existing user base.
  • Cons: Risks muddling Stegcloak’s core focus and increasing maintenance burdens.
• Building a Separate Tool:
  • Pros: Allows for dedicated development targeting source code nuances.
  • Cons: Could split efforts and attention from the main project.

Conclusion

My gut tells me that a separate tool is smarter—keeping Stegcloak lean while exploring this niche innovation elsewhere. Thoughts?

[SpyC0der77]

You could very easily hide malware.