Enigma Cipher Challenge

ZZ9pZa
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Posts: 141

Enigma Cipher Challenge Apr 15, 2017 4:15:02 GMT

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Post by ZZ9pZa on Apr 15, 2017 4:15:02 GMT

Dear EWCG colleagues,

Is there anyone who can help me to a good site, software or other information about codebreaking and enigma?

I am giving the Enigma Cipher Challenge on the excellent site of Dirk Rijmenants a try.
I got as far as challenge 4, but now the challenges are getting a bit more difficult to solve.

users.telenet.be/d.rijmenants/nl/challenge.htm#s5

Is there a website, software, or any other means that you can advise me?
My codebreaking skills are limited to simple mono alphabetic substitution cipher, but I want to improve my skills.

I am also interested in subject such as Index of coincidence (the manual version)
There are several programs available who can do this, but I want to understand the method and try it by hand.
Good information is hard to find about the subject. The method is explained and used in different ways it seems (Or I am looking in the wrong places

)
I've bought "the code book" (Simon Singh) and "cryptanalysis" (Helen Fouché Gaines).
But so far I am not quit able to understand how to interpret the calculation results.

Any help is very much appreciated.

Eric

Don't Panic.

lpaseen
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Posts: 240

Enigma Cipher Challenge Apr 15, 2017 14:38:27 GMT

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Post by lpaseen on Apr 15, 2017 14:38:27 GMT

Sorry - cant help you but you now enlightened me on the existence of this challenges. I know Simon Sing had some kind of crypto challenge long time ago but while it looks very interesting doing them I'm scared since I know it will take time to figure out things and time is something I'm short on. For now I have just bookmarked it so I can take a look at it in the future.

Arduino Enigma Full Member Posts: 235	Enigma Cipher Challenge Apr 16, 2017 16:00:55 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Arduino Enigma on Apr 16, 2017 16:00:55 GMT Dirk runs a couple of challenges. Here is another one: users.telenet.be/d.rijmenants/en/boxchallenge.htm
	Arduino Enigma Machine Simulator: arduinoenigma.blogspot.com 8ECC 3913 0D3C 1617 050B 5676 0854 FD47 BA11 A198

lpaseen
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have you had your smile today?

Posts: 240

Enigma Cipher Challenge Apr 16, 2017 18:29:19 GMT

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Post by lpaseen on Apr 16, 2017 18:29:19 GMT

Did take a quick look at the first one and realized it's two levels of encryption, first the enigma part, then figure out what the "cleartext" actually means. I think it will have to wait for a future date.
As for the OPs post of users.telenet.be/d.rijmenants/en/challenge.htm#s5 - guess some smarts can be added to it but at worst it's bruteforce of 3*26*26=2028 combinations and given that having wrong ring would still produce correct start (until turnover comes) it's more like 3*26=78 tests to do to find which one that starts with VO and after that it's at most 25 more positions to test for the ring stellung.

I think this is one of the other fundamental weaknesses with enigma - you can get it partially right and then work out the rest. I think that in a good cipher you only get the cleartext when you get everything right (all 4096 bits or whatever) and every other combination (2^4096-1 combinations) gives you only some random garbage that can't be analyzed.

ZZ9pZa
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Posts: 141

Enigma Cipher Challenge Apr 17, 2017 6:25:21 GMT via mobile

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Post by ZZ9pZa on Apr 17, 2017 6:25:21 GMT

The second part as you call it is easy.
The tricky part is the deciphering.
Can you advise a methode or some other tools?
I want to increase my codebreaking skills.
This comes in handy with my other hobby, geocaching, too.

Last Edit: Apr 17, 2017 6:26:34 GMT by ZZ9pZa

Don't Panic.

Post by ZZ9pZa on Apr 15, 2017 4:15:02 GMT

Post by lpaseen on Apr 15, 2017 14:38:27 GMT

Post by Arduino Enigma on Apr 16, 2017 16:00:55 GMT

Post by lpaseen on Apr 16, 2017 18:29:19 GMT

Post by ZZ9pZa on Apr 17, 2017 6:25:21 GMT