Stegobot initially gains access to computers through the usual channels such as infected attachments or directs to malware-laden content. After gaining access, Stegobot applies a technique called “steganography” to conceal data in the image files without affecting the picture’s appearance.
The botnet incorporates the information into any image you are uploading on Facebook. And then it waits for one of your friends to see your profile. Stegobot can then infect your computer even if your friend has not clicked on the corrupted image. In case your friend is also infected with the botnet, then any photo they upload will also pass on the stolen data. And the relaying of the data can eventually land into the hands of a botmaster, who will be then able to access your identity.
The study focuses on the development of a decentralized botnet based on a model of covert communication where the nodes of the network only communicate along the edges of a social network. This is made possible by recent advances in malware technologies. Social malware refers to the class of malware that propagate through the social network of its victims by hijacking social trust. Instances include targeted surveillance attacks on the Tibetan Movement and the non-targeted attack by the Koobface worm on a number of online social networks including Facebook.
By adopting such a communication model, a malicious network such as a botnet can make its traffic significantly more difficult to be differentiated from legitimate traffic solely on the basis of communication end-points. Additionally, to frustrate defense efforts based on traffic flow classification, Steganobot’s development team intends to explore the use of covert channels based on data concealment techniques. What if criminals used steganographic data hiding techniques which exploit human social behavior patterns in designing botnets? Would it be possible to design such a botnet? How would it be superior to existing botnets, and where would it be inferior to the same? These are some of the questions this study hopes to answer in this paper.
The research related to Stegobot is quite significant as this online hacking threat is virtually undetectable. Of late we have seen a spate of online hacking across the world. Whether it has been a government website or the IMF network, everything online seems vulnerable. Online hacking techniques such as botnets have only strengthened the contemporary need for more secure and foolproof methods to safeguard online identity. For continued updates about malware protection and safe web behavior, 
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