Hide text information in .wav audio using LSB
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61117/ipsumtec.v9i1.461Keywords:
AES Encryption, Steganography, LSB, Python, Digital SecurityAbstract
This article describes the development of a Python library for hiding information in audio files using the Least Significant Bit (LSB) steganographic method. The objective was to design a reusable package capable of embedding and extracting PDF files within WAV audio files without perceptibly affecting their quality.
The research followed an experimental approach divided into five stages: review of the state of the art, definition of the LSB algorithm, integration of symmetric encryption with AES-256, code implementation, and results validation. The PyDub library was used for audio manipulation, NumPy for sample processing, and Fernet for encryption. The process consisted of encrypting the PDF file, modifying the least significant bits of the audio samples to insert the data, and reconstructing the WAV file. Extraction was performed inversely, recovering and decrypting the embedded message.
The results demonstrated that the LSB method combined with AES-256 encryption effectively hides information while maintaining the integrity of the original file and preserving sound quality. In all tests, both locally and on the PythonAnywhere platform, the PDF file was fully recovered, and the audio remained perceptually identical to the original.
It is concluded that audio steganography using Python is an effective alternative for protecting sensitive information by combining encryption security with the discretion of digital hiding. However, the method’s fragility against compression or audio manipulation is recognized. As future work, it is proposed to optimize data capacity and explore more robust steganographic techniques.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Wendy Carranza Díaz , María Concepción Villatoro-Cruz , Guillermina Jiménez Rasgado , José Aurelio Ramírez González , Pablo Francisco Vivas Torres
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
