Senior computer science major Mark Breitinger spent his summer trying to find new meaning in images. Unlike many who search for meaning in images, Breitinger isn't looking for the metaphorical, the subtle or the figurative; he is looking for the binary. Binary data, that is, containing hidden messages embedded into the images we view everyday on the Internet.
In his project "Feasibility Analysis of Cryptographic Algorithms used in conjunction with Stegonography" Breitinger is studying a sub-set of Steganography, the field of Steganalysis.
Steganography is the process of encoding hidden data in computer files while not degrading the original quality. Its applications include watermarking of digital media, such as MP3s, and covert communications. Steganalysis is the process of detecting hidden data.
"Take a [site] where there's thousands of images. You can fit an entire book in one image without changing the original quality. You just have to know which image to look in."
Breitinger is looking at methods to help automate detection of images containing hidden data, a task he described as "worse than finding a needle in a haystack."
While most of the published research in steganalysis pertains to digital watermarks, Breitinger said the federal government is now researching steganalysis to detect terrorist communications.
Breitinger's summer project was an extension of an independent study he completed with his adviser during the Spring semester.
Breitinger received a Hansmann Summer Science Grant to conduct his research with Professor of Computer Science Richard Decker. Breitinger, who hails from Clifton Park, NY, is a fire-fighter in the Clinton Fire Department.
