we're long overdue...

[inkedmn]

hey! creative people!!

how 'bout a new challenge?!?!

:)

[Strike]

I'm kinda interested in code implementations of steganography. Maybe we could come up with a challenge for something like that?

Oh, and for those who don't know, steganography is the process of transparently embedding information in images as a means of "encryption". The data itself can be encrypted as well, I think. I'm no steganographic expert, that's for sure :)

[GnuVince]

How about the first challenge many of us saw on LNO? Printing a random number from 0 to 99 so that it takes all lines and cols of a 80x25 screen?

[inkedmn]

maybe something to do with networking? like a simple echo server or something...

[phubuh]

How about this?

You create a program to encode data into a PNG by adding another chunk to it. This isn't really secure, but hey, it's just for fun!

It'll require finding proper PNG documentation, finding the END chunk, adding your own chunk before it and generating a valid CRC checksum for it and some other things.

I think it could be quite successful, but it might take just a little bit too much effort.

[recluse]

, steganography is the process of transparently embedding information in images as a means of "encryption" I hope you really mean that loosely Strike (in regards to the "encryption" part). Or we might as well consider LaTEX or HTML as programming.
lol:D

But I assume you due to your obvious use of quotes.

[Strike]

recluse: yeah, it is to be interpreted loosely. It's really more a method of obfuscation and obscuring the message than encrypting it (though the contained message can be encrypted, of course). For example, you could send someone a perfectly innocent looking e-mail with "pictures of the kids" (or what have you) attached, but the payload of the e-mail would really be in the pictures and not in the cheesy e-mail text itself.