UNCOVER article on steganography to the 4th Observatory Function Report on Encryption

The UNCOVER project is proud to announce its contribution to the Forensic Experts Forum 2023, which took place at Europol’s headquarters in The Hague from 14-15 September 2023. The forum was dedicated to promoting international cooperation in the field of computer forensics, and featured research results and demonstrations in the field of new technologies, state-of-the-art investigative techniques, analysis of IoT devices, examination of electronic systems in vehicles, and the use of artificial intelligence in digital forensics.

The UNCOVER project contributed with an article on steganography to the 4^th Observatory Function report on Encryption, which was requested by Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3). The article provides an overview of the new taxonomy and challenges of steganography, which is the art and science of hiding messages in digital media, such as images, audio, or video. The article also describes how steganography plays a role in different criminal activities, and how the detection of steganography, i.e., steganalysis, is addressed in several European research projects focusing on the fight against crime and terrorism. The 4^th Observatory Function Report is dedicated to provide a comprehensive analysis of technical and legal developments, new challenges and good practices related to encryption in criminal investigations. This document will be used to inform High Level Working Group on access to data for effective law enforcement initiated by the European Commission.

The article will be published soon in the 4th Observatory Function report on Encryption, which will be available on the Europol website https://www.europol.europa.eu/publications-events/events/forensic-experts-forum-2023-conference .