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Code and ciphers: Julius Caesar, the Enigma and the internet

Code and ciphers: Julius Caesar, the Enigma and the internet

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which is approximately 1.6�10 19 . This is <strong>the</strong> ‘setting work factor’ <strong>and</strong><br />

although it looks insignificant compared to <strong>the</strong> work factor for breaking<br />

it would still rule out a brute force attack even on today’s most powerful<br />

computers, <strong>and</strong> in 1942 <strong>the</strong>re were none.<br />

The story of how SZ42 messages were never<strong>the</strong>less decrypted is<br />

described in some detail in [11.3]. The basic attack was to find <strong>the</strong> settings<br />

of <strong>the</strong> wheels of set A, using statistical analysis to find ‘likely c<strong>and</strong>idates’.<br />

Since even this involved more than 22 000 000 possibilities (<strong>the</strong> product<br />

of <strong>the</strong> wheel lengths of set A) a machine (known as Colossus) was designed<br />

<strong>and</strong> built for <strong>the</strong> purpose. Although intended for one very special purpose<br />

Colossus was in some respects an early electronic computer.<br />

Problem 11.1<br />

A cipher operator made a single error in setting one of <strong>the</strong> pins on one of<br />

<strong>the</strong> wheels in each of <strong>the</strong> following cases <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> cipher messages were resent<br />

using <strong>the</strong> corrected pin settings. What would <strong>the</strong> cryptanalyst notice<br />

when comparing <strong>the</strong> two cipher messages in each case?<br />

(1) The messages were enciphered on a Hagelin machine <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> incorrect<br />

pin was on <strong>the</strong> 23-wheel;<br />

(2) <strong>the</strong> messages were enciphered on an SZ42 <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> incorrect pin was on<br />

<strong>the</strong> 31-wheel;<br />

(3) <strong>the</strong> messages were enciphered on an SZ42 <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> incorrect pin was on<br />

<strong>the</strong> 61-wheel.<br />

With 131 pins on <strong>the</strong> Hagelin <strong>and</strong> 501 on <strong>the</strong> SZ42 such errors could<br />

easily occur.<br />

Modifications to <strong>the</strong> SZ42<br />

Beyond <strong>the</strong> <strong>Enigma</strong> 159<br />

In order to increase <strong>the</strong> complexity of <strong>the</strong> SZ42 <strong>and</strong> so make life even more<br />

difficult for <strong>the</strong> cryptanalysts three modifications were introduced at different<br />

times. All of <strong>the</strong>se were intended to make <strong>the</strong> stepping of <strong>the</strong> wheels<br />

of set B more unpredictable. Instead of <strong>the</strong> motion of <strong>the</strong> wheels of set B<br />

being controlled exclusively by <strong>the</strong> current pin value on <strong>the</strong> 37-wheel:<br />

(1) <strong>the</strong> current pin value on <strong>the</strong> 31-wheel was added (mod 2) to <strong>the</strong> current<br />

pin value on <strong>the</strong> 37-wheel; or<br />

(2) <strong>the</strong> current pin value on <strong>the</strong> 43-wheel was added (mod 2) to <strong>the</strong> current<br />

pin value on <strong>the</strong> 37-wheel; or<br />

(3) <strong>the</strong> value of P 5 two positions back was added (mod 2) to <strong>the</strong> current pin<br />

value on <strong>the</strong> 37-wheel.

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