steganography

Steganography is a technique used in modern cyberattacks to hide malicious code inside seemingly harmless files, such as PNG images. Recent ClickFix campaigns targeting Windows users have employed a .NET Stego Loader that extracts payloads from image files, enabling fileless, in-memory execution of infostealers. These attacks often begin with a fake Windows Update screen that tricks users into running a command, which then downloads a steganographic image containing the hidden malware. This method helps evade traditional antivirus detection by concealing the attack within legitimate-looking image data. Discussions on WindowsForum highlight how steganography is increasingly used in multi-stage, fileless delivery chains to compromise systems without leaving traces on disk.