Stegcore

Hide encrypted messages inside ordinary files

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Stegcore encrypts your payload and hides it inside an image or audio file. The result looks and sounds completely normal. Only the correct passphrase recovers what's inside. Three authenticated ciphers (Ascon-128, ChaCha20-Poly1305, AES-256-GCM), adaptive LSB steganography, deniable dual-payload mode, and a full steganalysis detection suite. Desktop GUI and CLI. Completely offline. No network connections, no telemetry, no account.

🎉 Stegcore's adaptive mode evades all four of Aletheia's classical steganalysis detectors (SPA, RS, Weighted Stego, and Triples) on real-world images. No other open-source steganography tool achieves this. Details →

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Install

Download a binary (recommended)

Grab the latest release for your platform from the Releases page.

Platform	CLI	GUI
Linux x86_64	.tar.gz	.AppImage / .deb
macOS (Intel + Apple Silicon)	Universal binary	.dmg
Windows x86_64	.zip	.msi

One-line installer

Same URL works on both Unix and Windows — auto-detects your platform:

Linux / macOS:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/elementmerc/Stegcore/main/install | sh

Windows (PowerShell):

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/elementmerc/Stegcore/main/install | iex

Installer options

# Pin a version
STEGCORE_VERSION=v4.0.0-beta.1 curl -fsSL .../install.sh | bash

# Custom install directory
STEGCORE_DIR=/opt/stegcore curl -fsSL .../install.sh | bash

# Uninstall
bash install.sh --uninstall

# Windows options
.\install.ps1 -Component both          # CLI + GUI
.\install.ps1 -Version v4.0.0-beta.1   # Pin version
.\install.ps1 -Uninstall               # Remove
.\install.ps1 -DryRun                  # Preview only

Package managers (coming soon)

# Homebrew (macOS / Linux)
brew install elementmerc/tap/stegcore

# Winget (Windows)
winget install elementmerc.Stegcore

Building from source

Building from source is not supported for public users. Stegcore relies on a private engine that is not included in this repository. Use the pre-built binaries or install scripts above.

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CLI usage

# Guided wizard (recommended for new users)
stegcore wizard

# Embed
stegcore embed cover.png secret.txt -o stego.png

# Extract
stegcore extract stego.png -o recovered.txt

# Analyse for hidden content
stegcore analyse suspect.png

# Batch analyse with progress
stegcore analyse *.png --json

# Pipe support
echo "secret" | stegcore embed cover.png - -o stego.png
stegcore extract stego.png --raw | xxd

Additional commands

# Score a cover file's suitability
stegcore score cover.png

# Compare original vs stego (pixel diff)
stegcore diff cover.png stego.png

# Read embedded metadata (requires passphrase)
stegcore info stego.png

# List available ciphers
stegcore ciphers

# System health check
stegcore doctor

# Benchmark cipher throughput
stegcore benchmark

# Generate shell completions
stegcore completions bash > ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/stegcore

# Bible verse
stegcore verse

Full flag reference: stegcore --help

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GUI

Launch Stegcore, then follow the step-by-step wizards for embedding, extracting, or analysing files. Drag and drop works everywhere.

Feature	What it does
Embed wizard	4-step guided flow: message → cover → options → confirm
Extract wizard	3-step flow: stego file → passphrase → recovered payload
Steganalysis dashboard	Animated charts: Chi-Squared (block-based), RS Analysis (per-channel), SPA gauge (DWW quadratic), LSB Entropy heatmap (per-channel autocorrelation)
Audio analysis	Oscilloscope trace with suspicious region highlighting
Pixel diff	Before/after comparison on embed success
Export	Copy dashboard to clipboard, export as PDF/HTML/JSON/CSV

Keyboard shortcuts — E (embed), X (extract), A (analyse), L (learn), R (reload), ? (shortcuts overlay).

First-run wizard walks new users through the acceptable use policy, licence, and preferences (theme, default cipher).

Settings — theme (dark/light), interface size (small/default/large/xl), default cipher, embedding mode, auto-score, clipboard auto-clear, reduce motion.

Analysis history stays local. Nothing leaves your device.

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Supported formats

Format	Embed	Extract	Analyse	Notes
PNG	✓	✓	✓	Best capacity and concealment
BMP	✓	✓	✓	Lossless
JPEG	✓	✓	✓	JSteg DCT coefficient LSB
WebP	✓	✓	✓	Lossless WebP
WAV	✓	✓	✓	PCM audio sample LSB
FLAC	—	✓	✓	Decode-only

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Why Stegcore?

	Stegcore	Steghide	OpenStego	OpenPuff
Offline	✓	✓	✓	✓
Modern encryption	3 AEAD + Argon2id	Rijndael + MD5	AES-128	AES-256
Deniable mode	✓	✗	✗	✓
Built-in steganalysis	✓	✗	✗	✗
Cover scoring	✓	✗	✗	✗
Pixel diff	✓	✗	✗	✗
GUI + CLI	✓	CLI only	GUI only	GUI only
Pipe support	✓	✗	✗	✗
Active development	✓ (2026)	✗ (2003)	✗ (2016)	✗ (2018)

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Docs

• CLI reference
• Architecture
• Changelog
• Security & threat model
• Contributing

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Licence

Dual-licensed under AGPL-3.0-or-later and a commercial licence. See LICENSE.

Commercial licensing: daniel@themalwarefiles.com