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Is there a way to hide a text message $A$ inside another text $B$ using a cryptographic cipher/algorithm, while preserving the sense/meaning of $B$ and without anybody being able to notice there is a message $A$ hidden in text $B$?

I am looking for something that can be processed either manually or by a computer.

For clarification: I don't mean to hide a message like “Attack X” saying “I went to X on holiday this summer” but an actual cipher/algorithm.

I know for sure there must be something, but being new to cryptographic and not knowing much about it, I don’t know where to look or what to look for. Is there a way to achieve this? If there is, could you (besides a reference) also provide a short example?

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    $\begingroup$ What you are looking for is called steganography. Questions about steganography can be on topic here, if it is the right kind of question. $\endgroup$
    – mikeazo
    Commented Nov 4, 2015 at 19:24
  • $\begingroup$ No, I know stenography... I don't want to add hidden messages in (image/audio/any) files but in text that can be printed or written on paper. I'm not looking to use that $\endgroup$
    – Zorgatone
    Commented Nov 4, 2015 at 19:39
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    $\begingroup$ Steganography can be in text, text that can be printed or written on paper. For example, hide your message in the first letter of every paragraph. Here is another example $\endgroup$
    – mikeazo
    Commented Nov 4, 2015 at 19:49
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    $\begingroup$ I never said anything about PGP/GPG. Where did that come from? The link I sent you to mentions PGP/GPG as not a solution to the problem they are trying to solve. $\endgroup$
    – mikeazo
    Commented Nov 4, 2015 at 20:41
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    $\begingroup$ How about this one. Try "Linguistic Steganography" in google scholar for more, that aren't too obvious. $\endgroup$
    – mikeazo
    Commented Nov 4, 2015 at 20:44

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I have a very simple code of doing steganography that neither modifies any word of your original text nor poses any constraints on the words you employ in the text; it simply changes a little bit of where the individual lines end and should be barely detectable by the warden. However, it is fairly inefficient, capable of transmitting only 1 stego bit per line. (This is unfortunately owing to the Principle of No Free Lunch.) The code is availble at s13.zetaboards.com/Crypto/topic/6939954/1/

[Addendum] For obtaning better efficiency one can employ a recent linguistic steganographical scheme of mine: s13.zetaboards.com/Crypto/topic/9024439/1/

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I think you can embed message $A$ into message $B$ with simple $LSB$, but you will have message $B'$ and maybe alter the meaning. If you want the message $B'$ to retain the original meaning, you should design $B$ to do that.

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    $\begingroup$ Just to be sure, do you mean Least Significant Bit by LSB? Also, it seems the last $B$ is supposed to be $B'$ $\endgroup$
    – Artjom B.
    Commented Jan 10, 2016 at 16:42
  • $\begingroup$ Yes, I means least significant bit by LSB $\endgroup$ Commented Jan 10, 2016 at 19:12

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