This document describes a program that uses steganography to hide information in BMP image files. The program's method allows up to 63% of an image to be replaced with hidden data without affecting the human eye's perception of the image. This makes it safer than basic steganography methods that only allow minor changes. The program allows viewing hidden data, splitting files across images, encoding and compressing files, and automatically selecting hiding quality. Potential uses include secret document archives, digital watermarking, and covert information exchange. The software is currently shareware but could be expanded to other file formats and integrated as a plugin. It operates on Windows 95 and later.

2.  Product description and functionalities
– This program uses new steganography method to hide information
in BMP files. Transfer images instead of naked data to prevent
anybody of knowing about your secret.
 This program let you hide any information in BMP files. When you transfer
encoded data, everyone can try to decode it. However, when you use
steganography methods, nobody knows about your secret. For example,
you often send picture files, some of them can be with information inside,
but nobody knows which exactly is. Also steganography can be used if it is
forbidden to keep or to transfer some sort of files. Now you can simply hide
they in competent, safe BMP files.
 The simplest method to hide information in BMP files to put it in the most
insignificant bits of each color. When you hide small files in large images, you
can not distinguish the original from the picture with secret. However, using this
method, you can not replace much information, otherwise the human eye will
distinguish changes. The method used in this program is much more powerful.
You can replace up to 50-60% of picture with your information and the human
eye will not be able to recognize differs. Therefore, when you are transporting
hided files, transferring time is only two times longer, but it is much safer.
Overheads for keeping pictures with secrets are not so big as safety.

3.  You can choose hiding rate. Normally hiding rate is up to 63%.
 Hiding spreads data all over the image following to the password. To
withdraw encoded file and to decode it will be very complicated,
because nobody except you knows data spreading order.
 You can view results of your hiding and compare the original with
the result.
 If not the whole file is placed in the picture, the file can be divided.
Then when you unhide file you can bring parts together into one file.
So you can hide one big file in several images.
 If you did not encode file before, you can use built-in powerful
coding method.
 If you did not compress file before, you can use built-in fast safe to
coding compressor.
 You can choose rectangle on picture where data will be stored
primarily.
 You can choose automatic quality. Program will search for the best
quality up to established, when the whole file can be stored.

4.  Steganography:
 Companies which need an additional level of security for
their digital documents (you may create archives of
secret document which will look for anybody like a
photo archive).
 Digital watermarking and fingerprinting:
 Any publishing, advertising, record, film studio and other
content owners, provider and retailer companies which
need a copyright protection and "ownership" recognition
for images, music, video and other digital data.
 Spy men as well as respectable citizens who want to keep
in secret the real essence of their information exchange.
 Companies and institutions which need to keep any kind
of attributive information integrated with images (say,
medical images – physician may need to be save into X-
ray image file the information on patient, etc.).

5.  Data Security and Intelligence
 SOHO
 Medical imaging: end-users and equipment suppliers
 Internet and other telecommunication
 Image processing software development companies
(and also sound, video processing)
 Digital copyright protection (for similar watermarking
software)

6.  Today BMP Secrets is a shareware program. We use it as a
visual and impressive demonstration of our possibilities and
technical skills.
Download for free: http://www.pworlds
.com/products/i_secrets.html
 Now BMP Secrets works only with 24-bit BMP files. We can
develop similar technology for other file formats, not only
image (jpeg, gif, etc.) but also sound (avi, mpg, etc.) and
video.
 We can develop special steganography plug-ins to such
programs as, for example, Adobe Photoshop, Corel
PhotoPaint, etc.
 Technology of steganography (hiding of information) is very
close to lossy image and signal compression as well as to
digital watermarking and fingerprinting (copyright protection
mechanisms). We can develop advanced watermarking
technology and implement it into software (stand-alone or
plug-ins).

7. • Technologies/platforms used
– Operation system – MS Windows 95, NT and later; 32 bit
architecture.
– Minimum hardware requirements: any where you can run
Windows and open image file.
– BMP Secrets has friendly users GUI, English (custom
localization for any another language is also possible).