Definition: Steganography is the practice of hiding information within other, non-secret data, thereby concealing the existence of the hidden message. This technique is designed to keep messages secret without drawing attention to them.
Contrast with Encryption: Unlike encryption, where the presence of the message is obvious (but not its content), steganography conceals both the message and its existence. For example, an image file can be manipulated so that the hidden data is imperceptible to the casual observer.
Examples:
Watermarks: Subtle patterns embedded in images to indicate ownership without obstructing the image content.
Pixel Manipulation: Altering the least significant bits of pixels in an image to encode hidden data without significantly changing the overall appearance of the image.