ThreatXRay: A Dual-Layered Approach for Advanced Steganographic and Metadata-Based Threat Detection

ThreatXRay: A Dual-Layered Approach for Advanced Steganographic and Metadata-Based Threat Detection

Aniket Kumar Singh, Dr. Shilpi Singh, Rahul kumar Gupta, Vishal Alpuria, Bijesh Kumar, Ritu Raj

Abstract—The paper demonstrates ThreatXRay which func- tions as an innovative cybersecurity solution through its web- based interface for improved threat detection enabled by dual- layered file and image URL scanning technology. The library and API service VirusTotal detects known signatures in main content but ThreatXRay takes a step further by employing advanced steganographic techniques to analyze both main content and ex- tract and view embedded metadata. This complete system detects threats that conceal themselves in metadata structures or make use of steganographic techniques because of its advanced scan- ning capabilities. The system functions with the VirusTotal API to detect known malware through baseline procedures although it also executes proprietary protocols to examine and extract metadata from files. The experimental results of ThreatXRay analysis on 2,500 test files showed an 87.3% steganographic threat detection success rate which outperformed standard scanners at 28.6%. The major enhancement demonstrates a key progress in complete cybersecurity scanning methods that fight sophisticated attackers using metadata-based attack techniques.

Index Terms—cybersecurity, steganography, metadata analy- sis, threat detection, malware scanning