Cipher Machines & Cryptology / Intelligence / Security
In 2012, Brian Neal successfully completed our Enigma Challenge. Since then, he was hooked on crypto machines and started that same year his own Py-Enigma project which found its way to GitHub. Last December, Brian created the website www.2crypto.online to make his browser-based Enigma simulation available to everyone. He currently works on the U.S. M-209, the Japanese PURPLE machine, and plans to…
This year will mark the 21st anniversary of our Enigma simulator and the 20th year of cryptologic challenges. It all started in early 2006 with the Enigma Challenge to decrypt ten messages. Although the challenge was a one-time event, the feedback encouraged us to continue the challenge. The original 2006 results are included in the all-time Table of Honor of the currently running challenge. The…
Operation Tinkel Bell has moved to the Cipher Machines and Cryptology website. The move offers more flexibility for HTML and maintenance, and a broader audience. It's also easier to switch from the operation to the technical and historical research on the website. If you love Cold War spy stories, secret operations, and cryptology, this is the perfect mix for many hours of excitement. Operation…
Click for more We're back with Podcast Nuggets, but this time only two podcasts due to some radio silence. You're nevertheless in for a treat. The first one is from Katerina Urban Richterova, the Slovak award-winning radio journalist and reporter who also worked for the New York Times, CNN, BBC, ARTE, and many more. She's well informed and a joy to listen to. Unlike usual, we don't suggest an…
Ralph Simpson was speaker of the month at the California Historical Radio Society where he gave a talk on the early development of encryption devices. He focused on the Enigma cipher machine, its inventors and patents, and its use by the German military during the Second World War. He also explains why the machine was considered unbreakable, but eventually proved to be the Achilles' heel of the…
TSEC/KL-7 © Dirk Rijmenants The TSEC/KL-7 crypto machine was developed by the Army Security Agency (ASA) and Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA) under the name AFSAM-7 and introduced in 1953 by the National Security Agency (NSA) into the U.S. Army and Air Force, and later also into the CIA and FBI. The machine also served in all NATO forces, their embassies and some state departments. The U.S.…
The Virtual Colossus © Image Martin Gillow The history of crypto equipment is quite fascinating, but diving into the archives, searching for historical publications, or collecting those old machines is not everyone’s cup of tea. Luckily, we have a community, dedicated to preserving the history of old crypto equipment, research the technical details, publish their history and operational use, and…
I'm pleased to announce the first guest on our brand new Crypto's Cast. The goal is to bring interesting bite-size stories for crypto enthusiasts, but also to tickle the interest of listeners with limited or no knowledge on cryptography. The Cast is a group of crypto experts, historians and collectors that will bring fascinating stories, with topics ranging from cryptologic history, its technology…
Ringway Manchester The Ringway Manchester YouTube channel is a fascinating journey into radio waves, but hard to describe, as it covers so many subjects with signals as the common theme. Lewis created hundreds of videos on various signals from across the world and explains the equipment and historical context behind them. No extensive documentaries, but interesting bite-sized 5 to 15 minutes…
Click for more After a long break, we resume the Podcast Nuggets series, covering a selection of excellent talks about signals, intelligence, wars and espionage. In other words, ordinary everyday life. Some of the podcast pages provide additional information, photos or videos. We start with a fascinating career in SIGINT, prisoners in Hanoi Hilton with a direct line to the CIA, the SAS raising…
The Deutsches Museum in Munich made available a large collection of Cipher Machines 3D CT scans . The 3D-CT digitization project for historical cipher machines uses computed tomography, based on X-ray technology. This enabled the researchers to examine objects in detail, without disassembling their components and risking damage. Hagelin CX-52 3D Scan © Deutsches Museum Visit the CT-Viewer to…
WELCOME TO 2024! This year, the Cipher Machines and Cryptology celebrates its 20th anniversary. It all started in the first days of 2004 with a tiny users page on a server, to share the very first version of the Enigma Simulator. Over the years, and with the help of fellow crypto enthusiasts, the website gradually grew by adding more crypto machines, their history and technical details,…
TSEC/KL-7 © Dirk Rijmenants The TSEC/KL-7 was the first rotor cipher machine to use electronics, and although the KL-7 had excellent cryptographic properties, its track record is what made this machine a true Cold War icon. My first encounter with that curious unknown machine with vacuum tubes was back in 2005 in London on the battleship HMS Belfast, displayed behind glass. It took another six…
Click to start tour What is Crypto? These days, you won’t even get the correct answer from Google. Instead, you get hundreds of hits on "crypto" currencies, top ranking on Google because they promise you to get rich in the shortest time, or lose your money just as fast. In fact, the term crypto, used since the 1840s, has nothing to do with so-called "crypto" currencies. No worries, we will lead…
The development of computers is closely intertwined with the history of cryptography, and vice versa. The mechanization of cryptography during the early 20th century slowly began to exceed the skills of cryptanalysts to break such encryption. The only way to break these ciphers was to also mechanize the breaking of ciphers. Colossus, the first programmable digital computer, was developed exactly…
Cyber security is an ever-evolving battle that we can never win. The reason is simple. Virtually no one actually knows what is running on their computer at this very moment. And yes, that's a bit scary. Gary Ruddell created a series of videos that are both entertaining and professionally made. His website provides insight in cyber security and includes articles, a newsletter and also workshops for…
HMS Mercury Royal Navy Signals School Sometimes you need serendipity to discover a fascinating website. I researched the TSEC/KL-7 cipher machine for long, and was able to find the few declassified documents on this 1950s cryptologic gem that served until the early 1980s. Initially named AFSAM-7, the KL-7 was developed for all US armed forces, but the US Navy developed its own fully compatible…
Joseph George Helmich The well known John Walker spy case from 1985 was covered extensively by the press. In 1968 he sold the technical details of the TSEC/KL-47 crypto machine (Navy version of the KL-7) to the Soviets and provided them more than 17 years the secret key sheets, causing tremendous damage to U.S. Naval communications. However, he was not the first to do so. Joseph Helmich already…
TSEC/KL-7 © Photo Dirk Rijmenants The U.S. AFSAM-7 crypto machine , later renamed KL-7, was a 1950s marvel of technology that combined the latest cryptologic knowledge and electronics. Thanks to declassified documents we were able to compiled a fascinating history of the KL-7 that gives the reader an inside view on where and how the machine was used. Although less known to the general public than…
Click for more It's been quite a while since the last podcast nuggets, due to the move of our website and other time consuming stuff, but again we have a selection of amazing interviews. Learn to fly with Air America (spoiler, not for faint-hearted), think twice before using a secure cell phone, how was British turncoat Kim Philby in private, and how good were the German codebreakers during the…
We're exited to announce today the Elite Box Challenge , the successor of the 2007 Crypto Box Challenge. This new challenge will be far more difficult. As before, it's your task to shuffle the rows and columns of boxes with text in such way that the original text appears. The challenge starts Friday, March 18. The crypto boxes have more steps than the previous challenge, but also different ways…
Our website Cipher Machines and cryptology moved to a new location with new domain name! Visit the website at www.ciphermachinesandcryptology.com . Despite the odd users-page URL, the old website still managed to attract 4.374.600 visits from across the world. I never expected this for an "obscure" subject as cryptography, hence the simple users storage server. The provider however recently…
Duga-1 OTH Receiver Source: Ingmar Runge During the Cold War, the Soviet Union developed various early warning systems to detect the launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The Duga OTH (over-the-horizon) radar was a well known example. Although top secret at the time, the Duga soon got nicknamed "the woodpecker" in the West because of its characteristic repetitive tapping noise…
A new 12-episode podcast series brings the extraordinary life of a young student turned spy. The life of talented East German student Albrecht Dittrich took an irreversible turn when he decided to accept an invitation to work for the almighty Russian KGB. He was sent to Moscow and trained extensively to become an illegal agent, the elite among spies. Albrecht Dittrich arrived in the United States…
TSEC/KL-7 Photo © D. Rijmenants The TSEC/KL-7 was the first tactical lightweight rotor crypto machine with electronics, developed in 1949 by the ASA and AFSA. In 1953, the NSA introduced this cryptologic marvel as standard crypto device for the U.S. military. Soon after, NSA proposed to share the KL-7 with their NATO allies to improve communications security. The machine had excellent…