Codes and ciphers for hiding messages have existed since the human race developed the written language. The Greeks and Egyptians were among the first to use codes to send private communications, thus laying the foundations of modern cryptanalysis. Cryptoanalysis is the study of codes and the techniques to decipher them, but it is also a world of secrecy and subterfuge, and it can be fun to explore the different aspects. If you want to learn the art of cracking codes, you will need to learn to recognize the most common codes and start unraveling their secrets. Read Step 1 for more information.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Decode Using Substitution Ciphers
Step 1. To get started, search the message for single letter words
Most codes that use a relatively simple method of substitution are easier to crack by resorting to simple substitutions, trying to solve the letters one at a time, and patiently trying to crack the code based on guesswork and guesswork.
- Words with a single letter in Italian are for example "e" and "a", so you should try to replace them while searching for a pattern, and - essentially - proceeding by trial and error. If you have deciphered a letter of a word, for example "p - -", you know that the word will most likely be "plus" or "for". Give it a try and then check. If that doesn't work, go back and try other options. Be patient and take your time.
- Don't worry so much about cracking the code as about learning how to read it. Trying to guess the mathematical schemes and recognizing the fundamental rules of the Italian language (or any other language that is encoded), you will be able, with a little time and effort, to decipher the code.
Step 2. Look for the most common symbols or letters
The most common letter used in Italian is the letter "i", followed by the letters "a" and "o". While you are at work, try to use the most commonly used syntax and words to start building logical hypotheses. You will rarely feel confident in your choice, but the cryptanalysis game is all about making logical choices and going back to correct your mistakes.
Watch out for double symbols and short words, and start deciphering these first. It is easier to try to make a hypothesis about "a" or "in" or "to" than the longer word "highway"
Step 3. Search for letters before apostrophes
If the message includes punctuation, you are in luck, as it offers a whole host of clues that you can learn to recognize. Apostrophes are almost always preceded by O, L, T, D or LL. So, if you have two identical symbols before an apostrophe, you can be sure that you have deciphered the "L".
Step 4. Try to determine what type of code you found
If during the decryption you think you recognize one of the common codes illustrated above, it is likely that you have found the solution; stop your attempts at this point and compile the message according to the code. It won't happen very often, but the more familiar you become with common codes, the more likely you are to recognize the type of code used and to be able to crack it.
Substituting numbers and keyboard codes is particularly common among the most basic and fairly regularly composed secret messages. Pay particular attention to the latter and apply them according to criteria
Method 2 of 3: Recognize Common Codes
Step 1. Learn to recognize substitution ciphers
Basically, a substitution cipher is an encryption method in which each letter of the text is replaced with an cipher letter, according to a regular pattern. This pattern actually represents the code, and it is important to learn and apply it in order to crack the code and read the message.
If your code contains numbers, Cyrillic letters, nonsense symbols, or even hieroglyphs - as long as the type of symbol used is consistent throughout the body of the text - you are probably working with a substitution cipher, which means you will need to learn the alphabet used and the scheme applied to crack the code
Step 2. Learn the square cipher method
The first type of cipher was used by the Greeks, and consisted of a grid of letters corresponding to numbers which were then used to encode messages. It is a fairly simple code to use, making it one of the foundations of modern cryptanalysis. If you have a message that includes a long string of numbers, it may have been encoded using this method.
- The most basic form of this code presented a grid with rows and columns of 5 boxes each, the matrix was then filled in with each letter of the alphabet from left to right, and then proceeded with the boxes below (combining the I and the J in a single box). Each letter in the code was represented by two numbers, the left column provided the first digit, and the row above provided the second digit.
- Encoding the word "wikiHow" using this method would result in: 52242524233452
- A simpler version of this method, often used by children, is writing in numbers of digits that directly correspond to the position of the respective letters in the alphabet. A = 1, B = 2, etc.
Step 3. Learn the Caesar cipher
Julius Caesar created an excellent cipher, it was simple to understand and use but also very difficult to decipher. This makes it one of the most important coding systems in cryptography, and it is still being studied today as a basis for understanding the most complex codes. In this method, the entire alphabet is shifted a number of positions in one direction only. In other words, a shift of the alphabet three places to the left would replace the letter A with D, B with E, etc.
- This is also the principle behind a common code used by children called "ROT1" (meaning "wheel of one"). In this code, all letters are shifted forward one position only, so that A is represented by B, B represented by C, etc.
- Encoding "wikihow" using Caesar's cipher, shifting the alphabet three places to the left, will give the following result: zlnlkrz
Step 4. Keep in mind the keyboard templates
Keyboard swaps use the traditional American (QWERTY) keyboard pattern to make swaps, generally by moving letters up, down, left, or right a number of places. You can create simple codes by moving the letters in a particular direction on the keyboard. Knowing the direction in which the shift occurs allows you to crack the code.
By moving the columns up one position, the word "wikihow" can be encoded as follows: "28i8y92"
Step 5. Check if you have a polyalphabetic cipher
In the most basic substitution ciphers, the code writer creates an alternate alphabet to compose the coded message. Starting at some point after the Middle Ages, this type of code became too easy to crack and cryptographers began to devise various methods of using multiple alphabets within the same code, making the codes much more difficult to crack except you know the method.
- The Trithemius codex is a 26x26 cell grid that includes in alphabetical order every possible permutation of the shifts of Caesar's alphabet, and is sometimes presented as a rotating cylinder, also known as a "tabula recta". There are various methods to use this grid as a code, one of them is using the first line to encode the first letter of the message, the second line to encode the second letter, and so on.
- Cryptographers can also use a code word to refer to specific columns for each letter of the encrypted message. In other words, if using this method the keyword were "wikihow", it would look at the "W" line and the column of the first letter in the cipher code to determine the first letter of the message. These messages are difficult to decipher if you don't know the code word.
Method 3 of 3: Being a Cryptanalyst
Step 1. Be patient
Deciphering secret codes requires an infinite amount of patience and perseverance. It is a slow, tedious and often frustrating job, due to the need to go back for further attempts with different keywords, words and methods. If you intend to crack secret codes, it is good that you learn to be calm and patient, while at the same time trying to embrace the mysterious and playful aspects of this challenge.
Step 2. Write codes that are yours
Solving encrypted words in the newspaper is fun, but plunging headlong into polyalphabetic codes without resorting to the help of keywords is another matter entirely. Learning to write your own codes using complex coding systems is a great way to learn how to think like a cryptographer and decrypt messages. The best cryptanalysts are also adept at writing their own codes and creating increasingly challenging algorithms. Challenge yourself, learn more complex methods and try to decipher them.
Analyzing codes and ciphers used by criminals can help you learn some tricks of the trade. Bookies, drug traffickers and the Zodiac Killer have all developed incredibly complex codes that are worth delving into
Step 3. Try to crack famous unsolved codes
As part of a fun public engagement program, the FBI regularly publishes codes for anyone to crack. Try them out and submit your answers… and who knows, you might find a new job.
Kryptos, a public statue located outside the CIA headquarters, represents perhaps the most famous unsolved code in the world. It was originally created as a test for agents, and includes four separate panels with four distinct codes. It took the first analysts ten years to resolve three of these codes, but the final code still remains unsolved
Step 4. Enjoy the challenge and the mystery
Cracking codes is like living in a customized version of a Dan Brown novel. Learn to embrace the mystery and challenge of secret codes, and experience the thrill of unraveling the secret.
Advice
- The letter "i" is the most frequently used letter in the Italian language.
- If the code was printed, it is very likely that it was written with a special character such as Windings; it is therefore probably a double encryption (the Windings clearly express an encoded message).
- Don't lose hope - if you take a long time to crack a code, that's normal.
- It is easier to crack the codes of longer messages. On the other hand, it is difficult to decipher shorter messages.
- A letter in the encryption does not necessarily match a letter in the decrypted message, and vice versa.
- A letter will almost never represent itself (an "A" will almost never represent an "A").
Warnings
- Beware of unsolvable rabbit holes. Don't go crazy!
- Some codes are designed in such a way that it is impossible to decipher them, unless you have a considerable amount of information. This means that even if you have the key to decrypt, decryption may be impossible. These codes may require software or simply an incessant amount of guesswork and guesswork.
