> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://wiki.songer.pro/interviewing/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://wiki.songer.pro/interviewing/security-domains-and-technical-aptitude/cryptographic-protections/cryptography/what-is-the-difference-between-encryption-and-steganography.md).

# What is the difference between encryption and steganography?

Encryption is a process of converting data into a format that is unreadable to anyone except those who have the necessary key to decode it. Steganography is a process of hiding a file, message, image, or video within another file, message, image, or video. The main difference between the two is that encryption is used to secure data by making it unreadable, while steganography hides the data in plain sight, making it difficult to detect.
