Generalized Classification of Steganography Methods and Techniques
E. S. Abazina1, S. I. Makarenko2,3, M. F. Savelev2
1Military Space Academy named after A. F. Mozhaisky.
2Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University 'LETI'.
3Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
DOI 10.24412/2410-9916-2026-3-001-034
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Purpose. The increasing number of threats to information transmitted into infocommunication networkssecurity requires the timely development and application of adequate measures to preserve its confidentiality, integrity and authenticity. One of the areas characterized by active development in the last few decades is steganography – computer, digital and network. The main goal of steganography is to keep information secret, it determines the closed nature of achievements and successes in this field of knowledge, which is justified by conducting research by locally isolated teams and communities from different countries. This fact also determines the lack of a unified terminology, a universal classification that systematizes steganographic methods, making it difficult to analyze achievements in this field for novelty and practical significance, and hinders the development of steganography. Since digital steganography was historically the first to appear, the vast majority of open publications are devoted to its classification and ordering. With the development of information and telecommunication systems (ITS), network steganography methods have become widespread, the systematization of which is still at an early stage. The work objectives are to systematize, generalize and universalize the classification of steganographic methods, taking into account new features for their grouping. Methods used: the solution of the systematization problem, which results in a generalized unified classification of steganographic methods, is based on morphological, discriminant and cluster analysis of the object of research – steganography, and the subject of research – methods of steganography in infocommunication networks. Novelty. An element of the novelty of the work is, firstly, the introduction of new generalizing terminology – the concepts of «concealment», «steganography principle», «steganography», «steganography method», «steganography demand», «object used for concealment", «subject used for concealment» and others. Secondly, the formation of a universalized classification of steganographic methods, which is based on the consideration of these new concepts as new features for classification, as well as, in addition to them, subjects of steganography, stages of the data lifecycle, levels of ITS interaction, which determined the introduction of new categories – info communication and signal steganography, as well as. The classification was expanded by classes, directions, groups of methods, methods, goals and principles. Results. The universalized classification of steganographic methods, generalizing and systematizing existing methods, as well as allowing to identify new, not yet developed directions and methods. Practical relevance. The universalized classification of steganographic methods should facilitate the development of steganographic templates – sets of the most typical methods of concealment, each of which is characterized by certain requirements for the object and subject used for concealment, and concealment capabilities (quilting resistance, hidden throughput, and reliability and timeliness of the hidden data). Such templates can be further used to switch hidden data in nodes of stego networks.
Key words
data concealment, hidden data transmission, steganography, classification, steganography method, steganography technique, infocommunication steganography, signal steganography, computer steganography, file steganography, digital steganography, network steganography.
Reference for citation
Abazina E. S., Makarenko S. I., Savelev M. F. Generalized Classification of Steganography Methods and Techniques. Systems of Control, Communication and Security, 2026, no. 3, pp. 1-34. DOI: 10.24412/2410-9916-2026-3-001-034 (in Russian).
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