UNCOVER

In July 2024, the project UNCOVER, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, organised its final event and completed its last research and development action. The conclusion of the project marks the achievement of all its objectives, reaching an important milestone in the field of steganalysis.

In context of the UNCOVER project’s official end on the 31^st of July 2024, and to disseminate its achievements and results, the project partners held the UNCOVER Final Event in Brussels, Belgium, on 4^th of July 2024. This innovative project, coordinated by the Royal Military Academy, brings together a diverse array of 23 organisations from 9 countries, uniting European expertise and resources to pioneer ground-breaking advancements in steganalysis and stenography.

UNCOVER is a pioneering project that has been funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101021687. Over the course of the three-year project, the consortium has dedicated itself to advancing the field of media forensics, with a particular focus on the development and refinement of steganalysis.

In recent years, the criminal use of information-hiding techniques (i.e., steganography) in digital media such as images, video, audio and text files has been increasing rapidly. An important reason for this is that many steganographic tools have been made available as program source code packages. Consequently, perpetrators can easily selectively pick, adapt and combine information-hiding tools for their criminal activities.

Due to the availability of tools, a significant increase in the use of steganographic methods in typical areas such as cybercrime and malware attacks and campaigns as well as beyond can be observed. In preparation of UNCOVER, an initial survey of the Criminal Use of Information Hiding (CUIng) initiative on the Europol Platform for Experts (EPE) was implemented. It revealed that evidence of steganography and related principles have been found in a wide variety of different types of crime including child pornography, industrial espionage, criminal attacks on enterprises, credit card fraud and skimming, system intrusion, and backdoor injection and delivery methods.

However, steganographic methods and technologies are a major challenge for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) due to a lack of resources and procedures for investigations or structured operations. These problems are amplified by the increasing amount of digital evidence that LEAs and judicial partners have to handle. UNCOVER therefore addressed these issues by developing advanced steganalysis tools integrated into the UNCOVER platforms. The project established a comprehensive tailored toolkit, including technical development, analysis and training for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and Forensic institutes (FIs).

About the UNCOVER Final Event

The UNCOVER Final Event, held at the prestigious Royal Military Academy in Brussels, was a resounding success, celebrating the remarkable achievements, including the creation of the UNCOVER steganalysis tools and platform, the training modules, and the research and analysis work conducted during the UNCOVER Project. The event was a collaborative forum where law enforcement agencies, security experts, and researchers came together to share insights and discuss the future of media forensics. The day-long event featured panels and discussions led by esteemed members of the UNCOVER consortium and distinguished guests from related fields.

This was a unique opportunity for participants to engage in meaningful dialogue, network with peers, and contribute to shaping the trajectory of media forensics research and practice. Attendees had the opportunity to actively participate to an inspiring day, filled with insightful presentations and engaging discussions. The event started with the keynote address by Gilles Robine from DG HOME of the European Commission, who underscored the importance of the project’s contributions to law enforcement and forensic institutes. Additionally, attendees witnessed live demonstrations of the innovative UNCOVER Toolbox, showcasing its practical applications as the standalone tools and integrated platform to combat several forms of crimes. Expert panels engaged in lively discussions on the future possibilities and potential enhancements of the UNCOVER project, emphasizing its critical role in supporting law enforcement agencies across Europe. The event concluded with a shared sense of accomplishment and a forward-looking vision for the continued development and implementation of the project’s results and insights.

More Information on the Final Event on https://www.uncoverproject.eu/2024/06/06/uncover-final-event/

About the UNCOVER Tools Insights

Part of the public results of the UNCOVER project include the analysis of existing steganalysis tools. This analysis has been taken into consideration for the UNCOVER tools development and research.

The three graphs show the results of the UNCOVER project’s analysis of available steganography tools.

• The first chart reveals how many steganography tools use images, videos, audio files, text files, unknown media types, or other media types as cover.
• The second graph indicates which operating systems are used by the steganography tools, including Windows, Linux, Android, MacOS, iOS, and other unknown systems.
• The third chart shows which programming languages are most popular for steganography tools, including C, C++, C#, Java and Python.

Links

https://www.uncoverproject.eu/

Keywords

Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics, Forensic Institute, Law Enforcement Agencies, Security, Summer School, Training, UNCOVER.