Steganography Tool By Ork Senghout Group 2 (Individual)

Note: deploy and update script are for automate deployment.However, this might not work on some server. So we can deploy it manually throught this README

A modern web-based steganography tool that allows you to hide secret messages inside images using LSB (Least Significant Bit) encoding. Built with HTML, CSS, JavaScript frontend and Go backend.

Features

Core Features

Encode Messages: Hide secret text messages inside PNG images
Decode Messages: Extract hidden messages from encoded images
LSB Steganography: Uses Least Significant Bit technique for invisible message embedding
Password Protection: Optional AES-256-GCM encryption with SHA-256 hashed passwords
Real-time Preview: See your images before encoding/decoding
Download Encoded Images: Save your steganographic images locally
Copy to Clipboard: Easily copy decoded messages

Performance & Responsiveness

Fast Processing: Efficient Go backend handles images quickly
Responsive Design: Mobile-first design works on all devices
Minimal Dependencies: No external libraries required, reducing overhead
Concurrent Handling: Go's goroutines enable multiple simultaneous requests
Optimized Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript for fast load times

Security Features

AES-256-GCM Encryption: Military-grade encryption for message protection
SHA-256 Password Hashing: Secure key derivation from passwords
CORS Protection: Configurable cross-origin resource sharing
No Data Storage: Messages are never stored on the server
Client-Side Validation: Input validation before API calls
HTTPS Ready: Designed for secure SSL/TLS deployment

Technology Stack

Frontend

HTML5
CSS
JavaScript

Backend

Go (Golang)
Standard library
PNG image processing

Project Structure

Stegano/
├── backend/
│   ├── main.go                    # Application entry point
│   ├── go.mod                     # Go module file
│   ├── handlers/
│   │   ├── api.go                 # API handlers (encode/decode)
│   │   └── static.go              # Static file serving
│   └── utils/
│       ├── crypto.go              # AES encryption/decryption
│       └── steganography.go       # LSB steganography logic
├── frontend/
│   ├── index.html                 # Main HTML file
│   ├── style.css                  # Styling
│   └── script.js                  # Frontend logic
├── deploy.sh                      # Automated deployment script
├── update.sh                      # Quick update script
├── DEPLOYMENT.md                  # Deployment guide
└── README.md                      # Project documentation

Encoding a Message

Click on the Encode tab
Select an image file (PNG recommended for lossless encoding)
Enter your secret message in the text area
Click Encode Message
Download the encoded image once processing is complete

Decoding a Message

Click on the Decode tab
Select an encoded image (previously created with this tool)
Click Decode Message
The hidden message will be displayed
Click Copy to Clipboard to copy the message

How It Works

LSB Steganography with Optional Encryption

The tool combines Least Significant Bit (LSB) steganography with AES encryption:

Encoding:
- (Optional) Encrypts the message using AES-GCM with SHA-256 hashed password
- Converts the (encrypted) message to binary
- Replaces the least significant bits of RGB pixel values with message bits
- Creates a new image that looks identical to the original
- Stores message length as a header for accurate extraction
Decoding:
- Reads the LSB of each pixel's RGB values
- Extracts the message length from the header
- Reconstructs the original (encrypted) message from the bits
- (Optional) Decrypts the message using the provided password

Encryption Details

Algorithm: AES-256-GCM (Galois/Counter Mode)
Key Derivation: SHA-256 hash of password
Authentication: GCM provides both encryption and authentication
Nonce: Randomly generated for each encryption

API Endpoints

POST `/api/encode`

Description: Encode a message into an image
Parameters:
- image (file): The carrier image
- message (string): The secret message to hide
- password (string, optional): Password for encryption
Response: PNG image file with encoded message

POST `/api/decode`

Description: Extract a hidden message from an image
Parameters:
- image (file): The encoded image
- password (string, optional): Password for decryption (if encrypted)
Response: JSON object with the decoded message

Important Notes

Use PNG images for best results (JPG compression may destroy hidden data)
The image must be large enough to hold your message
Encoded images look identical to originals to the human eye
Only images encoded with this tool can be decoded by it

Security Considerations

⚠️ This tool is for educational purposes:

LSB steganography is detectable with steganalysis tools
Password protection adds encryption layer (AES-256-GCM)
Password is hashed with SHA-256 before use as encryption key
Without password, messages are hidden but not encrypted
Always use strong passwords for sensitive data
The same password must be used for both encoding and decoding

Installation & Setup -My server is Ubuntu2.24

Production Deployment

Prerequisites

Ubuntu/Debian server (tested on Ubuntu 22.04)
Domain name pointed to your server
Root or sudo access

Step 1: Server Setup

# Update system packages
sudo apt update

# Install Go
sudo apt install go-lang -y

# Verify Go installation
go version

Step 2: Deploy Application

# Create application directory
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/stegano
cd /var/www/stegano

# Clone or copy your project files
# Upload your Stegano folder to /var/www/stegano

# Build the Go application
cd /var/www/stegano/backend
go build -o stegano main.go

Step 3: Create Systemd Service

Create a service file to run your application as a daemon:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/stegano.service

Add the following content:

[Unit]
Description=Steganography Tool Service
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=www-data
WorkingDirectory=/var/www/stegano/backend
ExecStart=/var/www/stegano/backend/stegano
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
Environment=PORT=8080

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable stegano
sudo systemctl start stegano
sudo systemctl status stegano

Step 4: Install Nginx

# Install Nginx
sudo apt install nginx -y

# Create Nginx configuration
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/stegano

Add the following configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name stegano.shvpn.live;

    # Increase max upload size for images
    client_max_body_size 20M;

    # Serve frontend files
    location / {
        root /var/www/stegano/frontend;
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
    }

    # Proxy API requests to Go backend
    location /api/ {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8080;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Enable the site:

# Create symbolic link
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/stegano /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

# Test Nginx configuration
sudo nginx -t

# Restart Nginx
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 5: Configure DNS

Point your domain to your server:

Go to your DNS provider (e.g., Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap)
Add an A Record:
- Type: A
- Name: stegano (or @ for root domain)
- Value: {YourIP}
- TTL: Automatic or 300

Wait for DNS propagation (usually 5-15 minutes).

Step 6: Install SSL Certificate with Certbot

# Install Certbot
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

# Obtain SSL certificate
sudo certbot --nginx -d stegano.shvpn.live

# Follow the prompts:
# - Enter your email address
# - Agree to terms of service
# - Choose whether to redirect HTTP to HTTPS (recommended: Yes)

Certbot will automatically:

Obtain the SSL certificate
Configure Nginx to use HTTPS
Set up auto-renewal

Test auto-renewal:

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

Step 7: Configure Firewall (You can Just Diable firewall)

# Allow Nginx through firewall
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status

Step 8: Update Go Backend for Production(Optinal- Security consideration)

Update the CORS settings in backend/main.go for production:

func enableCORS(w http.ResponseWriter) {
    w.Header().Set("Access-Control-Allow-Origin", "https://stegano.shvpn.live")
    w.Header().Set("Access-Control-Allow-Methods", "POST, GET, OPTIONS")
    w.Header().Set("Access-Control-Allow-Headers", "Content-Type")
}

Rebuild and restart:

cd /var/www/stegano/backend
go build -o stegano main.go
sudo systemctl restart stegano

Verification

Visit https://stegano.shvpn.live in your browser. You should see:

✅ Secure HTTPS connection (padlock icon)
✅ Your steganography tool interface
✅ Ability to encode/decode images

Monitoring & Maintenance

# View application logs
sudo journalctl -u stegano -f

# Check Nginx logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/access.log
sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log

# Restart services if needed
sudo systemctl restart stegano
sudo systemctl restart nginx

# Check SSL certificate expiration
sudo certbot certificates

Performance Optimization

Add caching headers in Nginx:

# Add inside server block
location ~* \.(js|css|png|jpg|jpeg|gif|ico|svg)$ {
    root /var/www/stegano/frontend;
    expires 1y;
    add_header Cache-Control "public, immutable";
}

Enable Gzip compression:

# Add inside server block
gzip on;
gzip_types text/plain text/css application/json application/javascript text/xml application/xml application/xml+rss text/javascript;
gzip_min_length 1000;

Troubleshooting

Service won't start:

sudo journalctl -u stegano -n 50

Nginx errors:

sudo nginx -t
sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log

SSL certificate issues:

sudo certbot certificates
sudo certbot renew --force-renewal

Port already in use:

sudo lsof -i :8080
sudo kill -9 <PID>

License

This project is open source and available for educational purposes.

Contributing

Feel free to fork, modify, and submit pull requests!

Credits

Lect.Mr. Meas Sothearath AI

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