StegoToolkit

Binary Steganography Hider

Hide text or files inside any binary file — EXE, DLL, ZIP, JAR, ISO, firmware — using EOF appending, null cavity injection, PE section appending, or ZIP comment field. AES-256 encrypted.

AES-256
4 Methods

Try the demo instantly

Loads a sample EXE — shows all applicable methods

Drop any binary file here or click to browse

EXE · DLL · ZIP · JAR · APK · ISO · firmware · Max 50 MB

100% Client-Side Processing

Your file is processed entirely in this browser tab. Nothing is uploaded to any server. Works offline after page load.

How to Hide Data in a Binary File (5 steps)

  1. Upload any binary file — EXE, DLL, ZIP, JAR, ISO, or raw binary
  2. Type your secret message or upload a file to hide
  3. Choose a hiding method (auto-selected for your file type)
  4. Add a passphrase to encrypt the payload (recommended)
  5. Click Encode — download your stego binary

4 Hiding Methods Compared

MethodTechniqueCapacityBest For
EOF AppendingPayload appended after the last byte the format parser readsUnlimitedAny binary file — CTF challenges, quick testing, maximum payload size
Null Cavity InjectionHidden in runs of consecutive null-byte padding within the file body~1–50 KB (depends on carrier)EXE/DLL/firmware — lower detection risk than EOF
PE Section AppendingNew hidden section added to the Windows PE section tableSeveral MB.exe/.dll files — experimental, may trigger AV heuristics
ZIP Comment FieldPayload stored in the ZIP end-of-central-directory commentUp to 65,535 bytes.zip/.jar/.apk/.docx/.xlsx/.pptx
ELF Section AppendingNew hidden section added to the ELF section header tableSeveral MBLinux binaries — equivalent of PE Section
Raw Offset InjectionOverwrites a specific byte offset with the payloadUnlimited (bounded by file size)Firmware/raw binaries with a known unused region
PDF Stream InjectionA real, unreferenced stream object added via a PDF incremental updateUnlimitedPDF documents with a classic (non-cross-reference-stream) trailer

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the carrier file still work after encoding?

Yes for all methods. EOF-appended data is ignored by EXE loaders, ZIP extractors, and all format parsers — they stop reading before the appended bytes. Null cavity injection replaces null padding bytes that are never read. PE/ELF section appending adds a section the loader ignores. ZIP comment and PDF stream injection are never rendered or executed.

What is binwalk and can it detect this?

binwalk is a binary analysis CLI tool used in CTF and forensics to scan files for embedded data. It finds EOF-appended data quickly. Null cavity, PE/ELF section, and ZIP comment methods have lower location-detection profiles. Even if location is found, AES-256-GCM encryption means the content is unreadable without the passphrase.

Which method should I use for a ZIP file?

Use ZIP Comment Field for ZIP archives (including .jar, .apk, .docx, .xlsx). It stores up to 64 KB in the EOCD comment — a standard field most extractors ignore. For more than 64 KB, use EOF Appending.

Does re-zipping a ZIP archive destroy the hidden data?

Yes. If the ZIP is opened and re-saved, both EOF-appended data and the ZIP comment field are typically discarded on repack. Transfer the file as-is. The same applies to EXE files: re-compiling, stripping, or re-linking destroys all embedded data.

Can I hide an executable inside another executable?

Yes. Any file type can be the payload, including executables. The payload is read as binary bytes, optionally encrypted with AES-256-GCM, and embedded in the carrier. The carrier's runtime behavior is unaffected.

Is PE/ELF Section Appending safe to use?

It's genuinely experimental — the tool re-parses and validates the output after encoding, and automatically falls back to EOF Appending if validation fails, so you never get a silently-broken binary. For most use cases, Null Cavity or EOF is safer.