What if your painting could hide a secret?

Let me ask you something: when you think of cybersecurity, do you picture complicated algorithms or long lines of code? And when you think of art, do you see colors, brushes, and creative freedom?

Now, what if these two worlds collided?

Some time ago, in a conversation about art and cyber fraud, a colleague threw out an idea that made me pause:

👉 “What if we created cryptographic codes out of the pixels in a painting?”

It felt playful at first. But on reflection, this isn’t sci-fi - it’s real, emerging, and meaningful.

Secret messages hidden in paintings (Steganography)

Imagine you paint a watercolor. To everyone’s eyes, it’s just a pretty picture. But what if, embedded among its pixels, there’s a hidden message - maybe a URL, a phrase, or a symbol - that only specific software or a key can extract?

This technique is called steganography - hiding messages without the viewer knowing there's anything to find

Why it matters:

• Authenticate art and certificates.
• Protect your intellectual property.
• Create interactive art lessons - students hunt for hidden clues in the visuals.

Two images, one secret (Visual Cryptography)

Here’s another idea: you have two seemingly random images. Look at them separately—nothing to see. But stack them together? A secret message or image appears.

This is visual cryptography - decrypting information visually when layers overlap.

Why it matters:

• Make cybersecurity playful - students combine their drawings to reveal a clue.
• Securely share information: one student holds one “share”, another holds the second; only together does the message form.

Turning art into a key (Fingerprinting)

Every artwork has its own “fingerprint” in its pixel structure. You can use this unique pattern to generate a cryptographic key.

Why this matters:

• Art authentication in education platforms - your painting doubles as a unique signature.
• In EdTech - let a learner scan their artwork to unlock specific course content.
• In broader terms, it's a poetic and functional approach to authentication.

Real-world examples — where art meets cryptography

Kryptos – the mysterious sculpture at the CIA headquarters by Jim Sanborn. Installed in 1990, it features four encrypted messages carved into copper panels - three have been solved, the fourth remains one of the greatest unsolved codes in history. One day, even that code might be auctioned - turning secret into shared legacy.

Leonardo da Vinci is often associated with hidden symbolism and coded messages in his works- the famed Last Supper even inspired Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code.

Hayal Pozanti, a contemporary artist, invented her own visual "cipher" alphabet - translating data and human-technology relationships into abstract paintings.

Why should you care?

• In education, making cybersecurity approachable and creative transforms abstract theory into a hands-on, playful experience.
• In business, embedding art into security adds depth, authenticity, and innovation to how we protect and present knowledge.
• For us as creatives and educators, it opens an interdisciplinary door: creative expression can be secure, structured, and meaningful.

Now I want to ask you:

Would you hide a secret inside your painting?

Or better yet, use that painting as the key to something bigger?