Steganography for encoded messages on the web site?
Reader comment on item: The Secret Pictures of Senior Airman Ahmad al Halabi

Submitted by Jimmy Joe Meeker (United States), Apr 12, 2004 at 23:07

Interesting article and there are certainly some legitimate questions raised on Halabi. I looked at his site and the placement of some items seen odd, (a lack of context for example). If this guy was trying to hide something it's not too bright leaving your info page out there unencrypted where it can be easily site-snagged- unless: (a) the target page changed frequently, (b) steganography is being used to embed coded text the graphic images, or (c) the guy isn't as computer savvy as the AF makes out.

Steganography is an easy way to transmit hidden messages in pictures over the web. A freeware program can be quickly downloaded to do it. It would take a tough cracker program to intercept the message, which needs to be decoded at the other end by the second key holder. See for example:
http://www.know.comp.kyutech.ac.jp/BPCSe/BPCSe-appli.html

But all this is neither here nor there. The bigger question is why this guy with such links to a known terrorist state like Syria, (which the forked-tongues in Washington keep bending over to appease), was given such a sensitive assignment. Don't we have better options than this to harvest information? It also raises questions about a potential Muslim 5th column in our armed forces.

"It is sad that governments are chiefed by the double-tongues.."
--Ten Bears, in "The Outlaw Josey Wales"

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