SecretLayer is an interesting and off-the-beaten-track tool capable of hiding a limited amount of information in standard images, which will allow you to communicate sensitive messages and distribute confidential files in a secure and undetectable manner. The program tweaks the color of some pixels so that they make room for some encrypted data – this data is attached to the original image, but in a way that makes it invisible to the naked eye.
Actually, except for the slight difference in size, it is hardly impossible to tell the difference between the original file and the “loaded” one. The proportion between the image size and the size of the data you wish to send is 5 to 1 – i.e., you will need your image to be five times bigger than the file you wish to send. You can use JPG, PNG, BMP, and GIF images, and the program will tell you right away how much hidden information each of your images can carry. This information does not need to be a file; it can be a simple message, or both. This message can be pasted or typed in in the space provided by the program.
SecretLayer’s interface has been designed to serve both novice and experienced users. It performs two basic operations – adding data to an image, and retrieving data from images previously modified using the program (meaning that the recipient of the images needs to have SecretLayer installed on their system). Both operations can be performed using either a wizard-based interface or an “expert” interface. Actually, they are both very easy to use, and the only difference is in the step-by-step approach of the wizard, versus the all-in-one-window approach of the expert interface.
Both interfaces will allow you to add a password as well as various encryption types to your images. Among these types you will find AES, Blowfish, Cast-128 and Cast-156, IDEA, RC5, etc. SecretLayer is not only a very original tool with an interesting way of moving sensitive information through the Internet safely – besides, it does work.
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