Can you crack the enigma code?
- From: fretty <daniel.fretwell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2012 08:01:44 -0700 (PDT)
Hey, I am new to the forum and am seeking some help on a cipher trail.
I have worked on this for about 7 years now (with a few other people)
and really need some assistance on the final cipher. Even a pair of
fresh eyes will do.
Basically back in 2005 or so a book was released called "Can you crack
the enigma code?" by Richard Belfield. The book itself was just a
generic book on a few of the famous unsolved historical ciphers
(kryptos, voynich, Beale, Dorabella...) but it offered quite an
intriguing cipher trail, written by some experts in cryptography from
RHUL. The prize was to be a fully functioning enigma machine...
Unfortunately time went by and noone solved the trail so the
competition was closed and now I doubt anyone even works on it.
However, I was never in it for the prize and since the closing of the
competition I have been making my own progress over the last few years
on and off.
There are 6 ciphers in total, all of which are supposed to involve
pencil and paper methods. Also the claim is that they are not brute
force-able or susceptible to cryptanalysis (although this is actually
a lie for some of the earlier ciphers). The point is to follow clues
to solve the ciphers by forming the keys and using methods/variants of
things in the book (although the methods in the book are all common
knowledge).
However amateurs were able to do a bit of cryptanalysis to help
themselves get there faster (this was a book for the general public so
wasn't meant to be attacked using advanced methods).
The ciphers can be found on the forum here (along with descriptions of
the book/prize/cryptographers etc):
http://enigma.isg.rhul.ac.uk/index.html
I myself have solved the first 5 ciphers and can confirm that apart
from the second cipher you are not at a disadvantage if you do not
have the book. I am willing to hint people through these ciphers if
needs be. It is quite a strange trail and gets difficult easily but is
refreshing.
Maybe someone on here can give it a go and hopefully join/help me with
the final cipher! I really want to put this to rest after 7 years of
working on it!
I will probably find that someone on here solves it very quickly...if
so then I welcome any hints on the final cipher!
.
- Follow-Ups:
- Re: Can you crack the enigma code?
- From: lurens1
- Re: Can you crack the enigma code?
- Prev by Date: Re: Building Authenticated Encryption from CommonCrypto
- Next by Date: Re: how do you deal with christ ?
- Previous by thread: BEAST, RC4 and AES
- Next by thread: Re: Can you crack the enigma code?
- Index(es):