Information Hiding Using 3D-Printing Technology

In this work, information hiding using 3D-printing technology was investigated. It is a new direction of technical steganography. Information data is converted into a digital 3D model of elementary physical objects that are placed inside 3D model of a container product. After printing, a solid object physically contains hidden information that cannot be deleted or distorted without damaging the container product. In addition, the methods used do not reduce the operational, aesthetic and any other properties of the finished product. The possibility of extracting hidden information from a solid-state object through laser scanning was also investigated. We present the results of experimental studies of low-power laser irradiation of test samples of ABS 3D plastic in yellow and blue. The data obtained confirm the possibility of identifying the embedded content of a solid-state object and reliable extraction of hidden information. The proposed complex is invariant to the method of layer-by-layer growing, i.e. it can be equipped with any peripheral devices of 3D-printing of various manufacturers with any materials and principles of layer-by-layer creation.