Tips & Tricks: Hide your File and Other Data in an Image

Mrinmay Bhattacharjee | December 26, 2008 More

Hiding Data/Sensitive files behind an Image is known as Image Encryption.Now in order to carry out Image Encryption, there is no need to get special softwares at all. All you have to do what is written in this post.

But before let’s know what is Encryption. Encryption as defined in Wikipedia is as follows:

Encryption is the process of transforming information (referred to as plaintext) using an algorithm (called cipher) to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is Encrypted information (in cryptography, referred to as ciphertext). In many contexts, the word Encryption also implicitly refers to the reverse process, Decryption (e.g. “software for encryption” can typically also perform decryption), to make the encrypted information readable again (i.e. to make it unencrypted).

The above definition also gives out information about the reverse process of Encryption called Decryption.

Follow these simple yet effective effects to carry out Image Encryption on your own computer:

Make sure you have got WinRAR software installed on your PC.Gather all your files/data which you want to encrypt and add those files in a RAR Archive. For example Secret.rar
Now copy the RAR file to a particular folderon your Hard Drive. For Example: C:/hidden/
Now copy any image which is in JPEG format to the same folder above. For Example: logo.jpg
Now Open MS-DOS. Go to: C:/Hidden/
Then type this command: COPY /b logo.jpg + secret.rar output.jpg
Now you will see a output.jpg in the C:\Hidden\ folder.
Now only WinRAR can open that output.jpg file.
To Open the file follow this: Right click on output.jpg>> Properties>> Change Opens With Program to WinRAR>> Press Apply.
Now Click on the output.jpg, your all files will be displayed that you encrypted.
If you wish, Delete the original sensitive data, as everything is now save in an Image.