Steganography: Past, Present, Future

Steganography (a rough Greek translation of the term Steganography is secret writing) has been used in various forms for 2500 years. It has found use in variously in military, diplomatic, personal and intellectual property applications. Briefly stated, steganography is the term applied to any number of processes that will hide a message within an object, where the hidden message will not be apparent to an observer. This paper will explore steganography from its earliest instances through potential future application.