Traditionally, images have been used to embed secrets imperceptibly using steganography techniques. But can they serve as active components in cryptographic protocols rather than mere containers? In this presentation, I explain a new methodology that transform images into cryptographic elements, enabling their use in protecting secrets or implementing advanced schemes like zero-knowledge proofs. This approach offers greater robustness and security than steganography—achieving perfect imperceptibility and secrecy—while maintaining its benefits, such as resilience to mage alterations afterwards and an innocuous appearance. This innovative paradigm enhances security across various security use cases, including authentication, data protection, recovery, and sharing, while improving usability. For instance, images are easier to remember, provide significantly stronger security (post-quantum resilience) than long, complex passwords, and can be replaced if compromised—a flexibility that biometrics cannot offer.
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