Which term means a cryptography mechanism that hides secret communications within various forms of data?

Steganography is a cryptographic technique that involves hiding secret communications within other non-secret data. This idea relies on disguising a message so that it is not apparent to anyone who might intercept the data. By embedding the secret message into a seemingly innocuous medium, such as an image, audio file, or text document, steganography allows for communication that remains concealed and undetectable to those who are not aware of its existence.

The other terms presented in the choices refer to different aspects of cryptography. An algorithm is a set of rules or procedures for solving a problem, which can include encrypting or decrypting data, but it doesn't specifically refer to hiding messages. Cryptanalysis involves the study and practice of breaking cryptographic systems to gain access to information, a process that typically involves the opposite of hiding, as it aims to uncover hidden messages. Ciphertext denotes the result of encryption—a transformed version of plaintext that is not readable without decryption—but it doesn't encompass the idea of hiding information within other data forms like steganography does.