It is an innate part of our human consciousness that we each endeavour to be unique. We strive whether man or woman, in childhood, as adults and even in our advanced years, each and every one to be different from all others. And, at least from a genetic viewpoint, we are each truly one of a kind. Yet, that difference buried deep within our cells comprises only about one one-hundredth of one percent of our DNA; the remainder of our whole selves being practically identical to all others of our species.
As teenagers
we spend nearly every waking thought attempting to be seen as unlike anyone else and yet, in the same moment, strive almost to the point of insanity
to be like all our peers so as to belong to the “in-crowd”. A
true dichotomy
It is due to our desire for individuality the we long to possess that which no one else has. We paint our cars, decorate our homes, get tattoos and yet each of these expressions of our innermost sense of self are soon duplicated or parodied by others leaving us searching for yet another announcement of our oneness.
It is this plight that leads us to
reach into the one place that is truly ours; inviolate by all who
dare attempt without our permission and collusion knowledge of it's
contents: our mind. Our most secret thoughts and deepest desires are safe so long as we utter them not.
Yet just as the beasts of the
jungle when held in captivity, no matter how gilded their
confinement, long for freedom so to do our innermost secrets scream
to be loosed. To be held still hidden from the eyes of the world yet
shared with someone. A lover, our closest confidant, our most trusted
friend. So inspired was the birth of secret writing. Cryptography.
Through cryptography we find a way for us keep our secrets, sharing
them only with the trusted few that we choose and denying access to
all others.
The
antithesis to this security born of a secret defended by cryptography
is the burning ambition within each of us to penetrate and discover the
secrets of others. And thus was developed
cryptography's nemesis: cryptanalysis.
It is upon this very plane that
I endeavour to give you an opportunity for some personal
accomplishment. Here then I present 4 messages protected by the
armour of 4 cyphers. Each message and cypher is different. Each for
you to lay bare with your superior intellect, sharply honed skills and infinite persistence.
The first cypher is a simple one for you to cut your teeth on. Someone only
slightly familiar with the basics of cryptanalysis should experience
little difficulty untangling the mystery within.
Each cypher increases in
difficulty, allowing you to challenge yourself and test your
abilities at several levels. The last is for those of you with a lot
of experience. It will require some advanced skills. Or a whole lot
of BDL (see Tips)
There are no riches to be had. No
trophies for your showcase. Only the gratification brought by
overcoming a challenge and the satisfaction of knowing that you are
part of the elite, the few; able to discover through your efforts
bounty hidden from the masses.
I will however offer a
little notoriety to those successful at mastering some - or all - of
the challenges. I will right here in this blog announce your great
skill and abilities to the world. You have only to email the
correctly decyphered messages to: n_r_peterson@yahoo.com
along with your name and, if you wish, where you live. For the first
5 to correctly crack each of the cyphers and read the message I will
post for all the world to see your names, along with the underlying
plain text and the cyphers used to encrypt them.
NOTICE:
UNLESS
SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED BY THE SUCCESSFUL CONTESTANTS, ONLY FIRST
NAMES AND LAST INITIALS, ALONG WITH (if included) THE
STATE/PROVINCE AND COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE WILL BE PUBLISHED.
Ie: John S of Quebec,
Canada
succesfully cracked
cypher #2
For
a little assistance click HERE for some TIPS and a
frequency-analysis table. Want a little more help? See my April 15,
2011 posting: A
CRYPTO READING LIST
Look for the winners
and solutions in March. Enjoy.
P.S. If enough of
you are interested, I will make this a regular part of my blog. It
depends on the response. If you enjoy it, let me know.
HERE
ARE THE CRYPTOGRAMS FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT
CYPHER
#1
Click
HERE for cryptogram #1 in printable text format
CYPHER
#2
detia
wdnae lbate htnoe sacfe irbsi htese hrorr
imaht
iwlla wenon ognuh nisab hsawa sriah cehte
lbatk
aodnu oreht wonyl raelc eromm ooreh tfosg
nihsi
nrufe htees dluoc yobeh tciff artfo smaeb gniss
apeht
dnate ertso redas ividm orfth gilml dehtt
sniag
aereh tdoot sehem itgno larof wodni wehts
drawo
tmoor ehtss orcad eklaw ehylw olsdn ayllu
fthgu ohter ipmav ehtdi asees
imdps trfas ooclv
Click
HERE for cryptogram #2 in printable text format
CYPHER
#3
29422 82935 32294 22829 35322 92134 42282 53925 26363 92529 21342 94228 29353 23626 23364 33941 25473 64321 39253 44722 39292 72842 33294 24233 25414 22139 29442 53429 33254 12135 24342 93325 41362 62629 33254 13739 25424 24726 29332 54136 26473 64339 26363 92526 21422 82539 41263 94329 42213 52435 36454 23641 43294 23643 39273 92521 42233 63437 43422 53947 36433 92534 21273 52542 29232 93532 29343 43639 25422 82135 42282 14229 32353 64529 21342 14233 25214 14229 42282 93532 29344 34142 22254 22825 39254 73643 27363 42135 32252 53721 41233 63633 21414 73643 23213 52621 23253 72933 25413 62642 39292 13341 45294 22841 34293 32541 29423 92933 25414 22825 34423 62225 33292 54425 42282 14247 36433 72539 23252 94425 42282 54525 22422 82547 45252 14425 21352 43225 25373 63542 28293 53229 35272 63925 25
Click
HERE for cryptogram #3 in printable text format
EXPERT
CYPHER
Do you
fancy yourself expert cryptanalyst? Try
THIS one.
WARNING:
this will take advanced cryptanalytic skills to crack.
Did
you solve any - or all - of the the cyphers?
Send
your solution(s) along with your name and, if you wish, where you live
to : n_r_peterson@yahoo.com to claim your rightful notoriety. If you
are one of the first 5 to send in the correct solution(s), we will
publish your accomplishment for all the world to see.
Have
a conspiracy you'd like me to research? Got a question about crypto?
Want to rant and rave about how crazy I am? Write your question or
comment HERE
and I'll do my best to find and post the answer.
