A comprehensive survey on stegomalware detection in digital media, research challenges and future directions

Stegomalware is a malicious activity that employs steganography techniques to hide malicious code within innocent-looking files. The hidden code can then be executed to launch attacks on the victim’s computer or network. Unlike traditional malware, which performs malicious activities by executing its code, stegomalware is specifically designed to evade detection by hiding its malicious payload within seemingly harmless media files, making it difficult to detect using traditional anti-virus and anti-malware tools. To counter stegomalware, numerous steganalysis techniques have been developed for different digital media, such as images, audio, video, text, and networks. This survey presents a comprehensive and detailed overview of stegomalware, covering its background, techniques, modes of attacks, and evasion techniques in various digital media applications. It also provides notable case studies of stegomalware attacks and in-depth review of recent steganalysis approaches. In addition, the survey reviews widely used stegomalware tools and datasets. Finally, it discusses the limitations of state-of-the-art approaches and outlines related research trends.