FileStegano

A typical way of handling private files to prevent other people from opening them is by concerning them inside other files. FileStegano is a simple and portable tool that can do this. It can hide any type of file inside images or PDF documents.

Because there is no installation involved, you can keep the app anywhere on the hard disk and even store it on a USB flash drive to easily move it around between computers. It doesn't make registry entries or create extra files on the disk without your approval.

As far as the interface goes, FileStegano doesn't put emphasis on looks, focusing on features instead. There are two main tabs dedicated to hiding files and recovering data.

To conceal a file, you just have to specify it with the aid of the popup file browser, point to the image or PDF you wish to hide it in, enter the password necessary for decryption, then set the destination and name of the new file, which will obviously have the same format as the original one.

When it comes to photos, the program supports BMP, JPG and PNG. Unfortunately, it didn't identify PNGs in our tests on Windows 10. Plus, you can ask the utility the new file as soon as it's created.

A couple of things should be noted. Unlike typical file encryption tools, file steganography programs do not apply password protection to allow anyone to access the files by just mentioning the correct key. To be more specific, this means that the containers (the ones which have secret files) can be opened just like any typical file. However, the hidden file cannot be accessed without decrypting the container.

In fact, the only difference between the original file and the container is the size: the bigger the hidden item, the larger the container. On the downside, you shouldn't forget which file is the container because there's no other way of identifying it without going through everything by hand.

A recovery operation with FileStegano is pretty intuitive since it only implies pointing to the container file, setting the correct password, and establishing the saving directory. Passwords must have at least eight characters. As a general rule, it's recommended to make them out of a random combination of upper and lower case letters, symbols, and numbers.

Besides PNG images not being identified in our tests, FileStegano worked as expected. It doesn't bring anything new to the table but offers a simple solution for concealing files inside others.