Assignment: Data-Hiding Techniques

Suppose you are the Chief Security Officer for a financial institution. Someone on your information security staff has informed you that recent Web content filters have shown an end user who has been visiting sites dedicated to alternate data stream (ADS) and steganography hiding techniques. She is interested in what the end user may be doing and comes to you for some explanation on these techniques. Write a two to three page paper in which you:

1. Explain how a user could utilize ADS to hide data and explain other destructive uses which exist for ADS.

2. Determine how rootkits can be used as an alternative for data hiding and explicate why they can be used for this purpose.

3. Describe the processes and tools used by an investigator in determining whether signs of steganography are present in a given situation.