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The Cloak of Steganography Mystery Cache

Hidden : 5/2/2021
Difficulty:
5 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


Steganography is the technique of hiding secret data within an ordinary, non-secret, file or message in order to avoid detection. Typical methods of steganography include the insertion of data into an image, audio, video or text file. However, what if there was a way to hide data in something a simple as the text itself? How would you know if something was hidden in this paragraph? Every word could potentially hold a large amount of data, and be almost impossible to detect.

 

There are many ways this could be used to hide coordinates and to make matters worse, people could not play fair and make something look like obvious ciphertext. But it could also be encoded using steganographic tools?

OSSKESTGGEDRGWTCHREUGP ‍‍‌⁡‌⁤⁢‍‌⁢⁡‌‍‌⁢⁢‌⁡‍‌⁢⁢⁢⁡‍‌‍⁢⁡⁢⁤‍⁤⁣‍⁢‌‍‍⁢‌⁡⁣⁡‍⁡‍⁡⁢⁡⁢‌⁡⁢‍‌⁡⁣⁢‌‍‍⁢‌⁢⁡⁢⁡⁢⁡⁣⁣‌⁡‍⁢⁡⁣⁢‍‌‍‍⁢⁢‍‍‌‍⁡‍⁤⁡⁢‍⁢‍⁢‌‍‍‌⁡⁢‌⁡⁢⁤‌⁡⁢⁢‌⁢⁤‌⁡⁣‌‍‍‍⁢⁢⁣‍⁢‍⁢⁡⁢‌‍⁡‍⁢⁡‌⁡‍‍⁢‍⁡⁢⁢⁢⁡⁢‍⁡‍⁢⁢⁡⁢‍⁣⁢⁡‌⁢⁣⁡‍⁢‌⁢‍⁢⁣⁤⁤⁢⁢⁡‍‍⁡⁢⁡‌‍‌‍‌‍‌⁤⁢‍‌⁡‌⁢‌⁢‌‍⁡‌⁢‌‍⁡‍⁤⁤‌‍‌⁤‍⁡⁢‍⁢‌⁤‍⁢‌⁡‌⁢⁢⁢⁡‌⁡⁢⁢⁡⁢⁢⁤‍‌‍‌⁡‌‍‍‍⁡‍⁡‌⁡⁢⁢‍⁡‍‍‌‍⁡‍⁤⁢⁢⁣⁡‌⁡⁢‍⁡⁣⁢‌⁤⁡⁢‍⁢‌‍⁣‌⁡‌‍⁡‍⁡⁢⁤⁡⁣⁢⁢⁡‍‍⁤‍‌‍‌‍⁡‌⁡⁢‌⁢‍‍‍⁡⁢⁡⁢⁣⁢⁡⁢‍‍⁤⁡⁣⁡PEDVPVTCCEMGKGLECREWEFDGDGQEEWEFSRLEXTHE

 

Someone could combine this method of hiding data with almost any common form of cipher to make a puzzle that was almost impossible to solve. Geocachers would never find their GPS ⁢‍⁢⁢‌‍⁢‍⁡⁢‍⁡‍‌⁤⁡‍‌⁡‍‌‍⁢⁤⁡‍⁢⁢‍⁡⁢⁢⁣‌‌⁣⁢‌⁢⁣⁡⁣⁢‌⁣⁡‌‌⁡‍‌⁣⁢⁢⁢‍‌⁡⁣‌⁤⁢‍‌‌⁡‌‍⁡⁢⁡⁣⁤‍‌‍‌⁤‌⁡⁢⁡‌⁢‍⁢⁢‌‌‍⁢⁢⁢‍‌⁡⁣⁡⁣⁢‍‌‍‌⁢‌⁢⁣⁡⁢⁤⁢⁣‍‌⁡‍⁢‌⁣⁢⁡‍⁤⁢‌⁤⁢‌⁢‌‍⁡⁢⁡‌⁤⁡‌‍⁤⁡‌‍⁡‍⁡‍‌‌⁡‌‍⁡⁣⁢‍⁡‍⁤⁢⁡‍⁡⁣⁡⁢‍⁢‌‍⁢‌⁣‌‌‍⁢‌⁢⁡‍‌⁢⁣‍⁢‌⁢‌‌‌⁡⁢⁤‍⁡‍⁡‌⁤⁤⁢‍‌‌‍‌⁣⁡‍‌‍⁢‍⁢‌⁢⁢‌⁤‌⁡‍⁢‌⁢‍‌‍⁢‌⁢⁢‌⁡‌⁤‌‌⁡‍⁤‌‍⁤⁢⁢⁡‌⁢⁤⁢⁤⁣⁣⁡⁢⁡‌⁡‌⁢⁡‍⁢⁤⁢⁢⁢⁢‌‌⁢‌⁡‍⁢⁢⁢⁢‍⁢‌⁡⁢⁢⁡⁢⁣⁡⁢‍⁤‌‌‍⁢‍‌⁢⁢‍‌⁣⁢⁡⁢‍⁢⁣⁣‍⁡‍‌‌‌‌⁢⁣⁡‌⁢‌‍⁡‌‍⁡‌‌‍⁢‌⁢⁢‍⁢⁢⁤⁢⁣⁣‍⁤‍⁡‍⁢⁡‍⁤‍Coordinates.

 

Luckily, I am not that evil and have left some breadcrumbs. All you need to do is follow the trail. Have fun!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

PGEY+P vf lbhe sevraq ;) Lbh qb abg arrq gb vafgnyy nalguvat

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)