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#1 2008-04-26 11:18:10

bossk171
Member
Registered: 2007-07-16
Posts: 305

Where can I practice my cryptology?

I've been reading about code breaking a ciphers and what not, and it's all very fascinating. I've been reading about code breaking techniques and I'd really like to practice some of the stuff I've leaned, but I can't find any sites out there.

What I'm really looking for is a site that will give me lengthy papers coded that I have to try and break using letter frequency and whatnot. Kind of like Project Euler for code breaking.

Anyone know of any sites/books that I could check out?


There are 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary, those who don't, and those who can use induction.

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#2 2008-04-27 23:25:46

integer
Member
Registered: 2008-02-21
Posts: 79

Re: Where can I practice my cryptology?

It is easy to generate the information you seek.
The best is to create your own.

The principle cryptographic problem is the method used to encipher the data.
If you do NOT know how the plain text was enciphered, you may expend enormous resources with no discernible benefit. 

AFTER you know the method used to encipher the plain text, it is possible to "waste" a lifetime using an inefficient decryption procedure.

Many newspapers publish a daily puzzle called cryptoquip [that may be a registered trademark].
It is a simple substitution cipher.

This is one of the results from google:  http://cryptoquip.qarchive.org/

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#3 2008-04-29 17:10:15

John E. Franklin
Member
Registered: 2005-08-29
Posts: 3,588

Re: Where can I practice my cryptology?

Hey!! Nice Euler site, I got #17, so that's 1/191 genius so far.
#17 is how many letters to spell something out from 1 to 1000 with
"and" being used.  The triangle with 64 triangles I guessed wrong
twice so far; 3 colors...
As for code breaking sites, I haven't a clue.
I've seen a job-listing for US crytologists though on net.
Maybe you could contact them.


igloo myrtilles fourmis

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#4 2008-05-13 22:57:52

Laterally Speaking
Real Member
Registered: 2007-05-21
Posts: 356

Re: Where can I practice my cryptology?

I've written about a dozen different encryption/decryption programs... also found a way of calculating very large numbers (which is necessary for RSA, where a thousand-digit number is raised to another thousand-digit power). I mostly use ASCII character values to do the encryption, as this allows full sentences with punctuation. Haven't used any of them recently... not much need for me, really.

I would certainly agree that most of the time that is spent decrypting something is spent using the wrong methods... people don't generally attach the exact algorithm to their message.

There are also some systems that cannot be decrypted, because you cannot be certain that you have obtained the correct message, rather than another set of characters of the same length that happens to make sense. I am referring to what is known as a onetime pad, which is actually relatively simple to implement.


"Knowledge is directly proportional to the amount of equipment ruined."
"This woman painted a picture of me; she was clearly a psychopath"

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#5 2008-07-30 14:12:57

careless25
Real Member
Registered: 2008-07-24
Posts: 560

Re: Where can I practice my cryptology?

Check out my post in Puzzles and Games section, i teach and post ciphers. Read, Learn, Solve!;)

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#6 2008-07-30 18:10:08

MathsIsFun
Administrator
Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,711

Re: Where can I practice my cryptology?

You could be a little nicer there, Z.


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#7 2008-07-30 19:41:08

ZHero
Real Member
Registered: 2008-06-08
Posts: 1,889

Re: Where can I practice my cryptology?

MathsIsFun wrote:

You could be a little nicer there, Z.

I excuse myself... MathsIsFun!
No Offense please..:|


If two or more thoughts intersect, there has to be a point!

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#8 2008-08-02 05:07:35

careless25
Real Member
Registered: 2008-07-24
Posts: 560

Re: Where can I practice my cryptology?

None Taken ZHero. Anyways i have done all the ciphers from the book and i m just posting them on for ur fun. Tho I dont deny that i copy from a book. I learned from the book and i thought it was a gud way to learn, so i m just posting as it is.

Last edited by careless25 (2008-08-02 05:08:47)

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#9 2008-09-13 16:47:46

Tigeree
Member
Registered: 2005-11-19
Posts: 13,883

Re: Where can I practice my cryptology?

Thats wot i'm studying at Uni, Ancient symbols and languages like hieroglyphics and stuff. So i can be a cryptologistographer-thingy or at least a historian. big_smile


People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy.
~ Anton Chekhov
Cheer up, emo kid.

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#10 2008-09-13 16:49:31

Tigeree
Member
Registered: 2005-11-19
Posts: 13,883

Re: Where can I practice my cryptology?

but Anglo Saxon Runes r my fav.


People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy.
~ Anton Chekhov
Cheer up, emo kid.

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#11 2010-05-08 13:06:22

★ adamnar ★
Member
Registered: 2010-05-08
Posts: 1

Re: Where can I practice my cryptology?

Here is the website with a cipher to break:
http://toolpaq.com/en/cipher/
There is even a reward for doing it :-)

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#12 2010-05-09 22:31:36

gurthbruins
Member
Registered: 2010-05-09
Posts: 157

Re: Where can I practice my cryptology?

Here's something I just put up on another site yesterday:

ANNH REAT NTSD HOGO FAUC ZPLI AINL MGEB OFIN ONTR GHWH EEEE AAAR VRIET.

- under the title "A Simple Code". Can you solve it?


It's the activity of the intelligence above all that gives charm to existence.

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