StegHider Monorepo

This monorepo contains two main projects:

🛡️ StegHider - Secure Image Steganography

A powerful, privacy-focused web application and browser extension for hiding secret messages in images using LSB steganography, encryption, and robustness features.

Structure

steghider/
├── core/          # Core Python library (steg_hider.py)
├── web/           # Flask web app (deployed on Vercel)
└── extension/     # Browser extension for metadata wiping and stego operations

Features

• 📸 Image Steganography: LSB technique for hiding data in pixels
• 🔐 Military-Grade Encryption: AES-GCM + RSA support
• 📂 File Embedding: Hide any file type in images
• 🛡️ Robustness: Reed-Solomon error correction
• 🕵️ Privacy Tools: EXIF metadata removal
• 📱 PWA: Installable on mobile devices

🎮 VaultWars - Blockchain Scavenger Hunt Game

A competitive NFT-based scavenger hunt where players discover hidden clues in steganographic images, competing in factions for rewards.

Structure

vaultwars/
├── contracts/     # Solidity smart contracts (ERC-721 NFTs, reward pots)
├── frontend/      # Next.js game dashboard with faction chat
├── scripts/       # Automation for clue generation and IPFS uploads
├── oracle-keeper/ # Chainlink oracle service
└── extension-bridge/ # Overlay for StegHider extension integration

Features

• 🏆 NFT Rewards: Clue images minted as NFTs
• 🎯 Faction Competition: Team-based gameplay with multipliers
• 🔗 Chainlink Integration: Randomness and automation
• 💬 Social Features: Nostr/XMTP faction communication
• 🌐 Decentralized: IPFS storage for images

🚀 Getting Started

StegHider Web App

cd steghider/web
pip install -r requirements.txt
python app.py

StegHider Core Library

cd steghider/core
pip install -e .

VaultWars Contracts

cd vaultwars/contracts
npm install
npx hardhat compile

📦 Shared Resources

The shared/ folder contains common types, constants, and utilities used across both projects.

🤝 Contributing

• StegHider: Focus on privacy and steganography improvements
• VaultWars: Game mechanics, blockchain integration, UI/UX

Keep the projects separate to maintain StegHider's privacy focus while allowing VaultWars to evolve rapidly.

🚀 Features

• 📸 Image Steganography: Hides data within the pixels of an image without noticeably altering its appearance using Least Significant Bit (LSB) technique
• 🔐 Military-Grade Encryption:
  • Password Protection: Encrypts data using AES-GCM (256-bit) with key derived from password using PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 (100,000 iterations)
  • RSA Key Support: Use Public/Private key pairs (2048-bit RSA) for asymmetric encryption. Share your Public Key so others can send you secrets only YOU can read
• 📂 File Embedding: Hide not just text, but any file type (PDFs, Docs, Images, etc.) inside a cover image
• 📦 Smart Compression: Automatically compresses data using zlib (level 9, maximum compression) and zips files to maximize storage capacity within the image.
• 🛡️ Robustness Features:
  • Reed-Solomon Error Correction: Recover hidden data even if the image is corrupted (JPEG compression, resizing, etc.) using configurable parity symbols
  • Auto-Tuning: Automatically calculates optimal parity symbols based on expected corruption levels
  • Corruption Simulations: Test your steganographic images against LSB flips, zero regions, JPEG recompression, and resize operations
• 🕵️ Privacy Tools: MetaWipe feature removes EXIF metadata from images for enhanced privacy
• 🎮 Gamification: Earn points for different security levels and features used
• 📱 Mobile Ready (PWA): Installable as a native app on iOS and Android devices
• 🌑 Modern UI: Sleek Dark Mode interface with Drag & Drop support

🛠️ Installation & Local Run

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/steg-image-hider.git
   cd steg-image-hider

2. Install Dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run the Application

   python app.py

4. Access Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:5000.

📖 How to Use

Hiding Data (Embed)

1. Upload Cover Image: Select a PNG or JPG image.
2. Enter Secret: Type a text message OR upload a file to hide.
3. Secure It:
   • Option A (Password): Enter a password.
   • Option B (RSA): Upload a recipient's public_key.pem.
4. Enable Robustness (Premium Feature):
   • Check "Enable Reed-Solomon Error Correction"
   • Set parity symbols (nsym) or enable auto-tuning
   • Specify expected corruption percentage
5. Download: Click "Hide & Download" to get your new image containing the secret.

Revealing Data (Extract)

1. Upload Image: Select the image containing the secret.
2. Unlock It:
   • Option A: Enter the password used to encrypt it.
   • Option B: Upload your private_key.pem if it was encrypted for you.
3. Robustness Settings: If RS was used during hiding, check the box and enter the nsym value.
4. View: The hidden text will appear, and hidden files will be available for download.

Generating Keys

• Click the "Need RSA Keys?" link in the footer to generate a secure Public/Private key pair .zip file.

💰 Paid Tiers

Free Tier

• Basic security level (compression only)
• MetaWipe privacy features
• Limited to 10MB files
• Community support

Advanced Tier ($5/month)

• Password encryption
• File compression and auto-zipping
• Unlimited file sizes
• Priority email support
• Gamification features

Premium Tier ($10/month)

• RSA key encryption
• Reed-Solomon error correction
• Auto-tuning and corruption simulations
• NFT metadata embedding
• Commercial usage rights
• Phone support

🌐 Browser Extension (Coming Soon)

Transform StegHider into a browser extension for seamless privacy protection:

Features

• Right-click Context Menu: Hide/extract data from any image on web pages
• Quick MetaWipe: Remove metadata from downloaded images instantly
• Popup Interface: Easy access to all steganography tools
• Web Page Integration: Detect and process images directly from websites
• Paid Feature Unlocks: In-app purchases for premium robustness features

Technical Structure

• Manifest V3: Modern Chrome/Firefox extension format
• Background Script: Handle encryption/decryption operations
• Content Script: Interact with web page images
• Popup UI: Clean interface matching the web app design
• Storage API: Secure local storage for keys and settings

This project is configured for easy deployment on Vercel.

1. Install Vercel CLI: npm i -g vercel
2. Run deploy: vercel --prod

Note: The Vercel free tier has a request body limit (approx 4.5MB). For larger file embedding, consider hosting on a platform with higher limits or a VPS.

🛡️ Technologies

• Python 3.12
• Flask: Web Framework
• Pillow (PIL): Image Processing
• Cryptography: AES-GCM & RSA Encryption
• reedsolo: Reed-Solomon Error Correction
• HTML5/CSS3/JS: Frontend

🔬 Technical Details

Steganography Method

• LSB (Least Significant Bit): Modifies the least significant bits of pixel values
• Capacity: Approximately 1MB of data per 4K image (depends on image size and color depth)
• Visual Impact: Virtually undetectable to the human eye

Encryption Details

• Symmetric: AES-GCM with 256-bit keys, 96-bit IV, 128-bit authentication tag
• Key Derivation: PBKDF2 with HMAC-SHA256, 100,000 iterations, 256-bit output
• Asymmetric: RSA-OAEP with 2048-bit keys for key exchange
• Hybrid Approach: AES for bulk encryption, RSA for key wrapping

Error Correction

• Reed-Solomon: Configurable parity symbols (default: 10)
• Recovery: Can recover from up to 50% data loss depending on configuration
• Auto-tuning: Calculates optimal parity based on expected corruption percentage

Compression

• Algorithm: zlib with maximum compression (level 9)
• File Handling: Automatic ZIP compression for uploaded files
• Efficiency: Up to 90% size reduction for text, varies for binary files

Privacy & Security

• Zero Server Storage: All processing happens client-side
• Metadata Removal: EXIF stripping prevents accidental data leaks
• No Tracking: No analytics or user data collection (optional email for profiles)
• Open Source Core: Steganography and crypto algorithms available for audit

⚠️ Disclaimer

This tool is for educational and privacy purposes. Please use responsibly.

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Made with ♥ for Privacy. Donations (BTC): bc1qf2j96j70j9I3cs3gh8048mgxpg3su5ydse6z9m