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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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<strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> cipher text is<br />

HORUX SXSEO TNXSI XMETH ITECD<br />

The pentagraph, XMETH, would soon be noticed by <strong>the</strong> cryptanalyst. The<br />

trigraph, XSE, though genuine, is not so obvious. If a rectangle with more<br />

rows than columns were used <strong>the</strong> ‘good’ polygraphs would be even more<br />

obvious.<br />

(ii) Use a ‘diamond-shaped’ box. In this box all <strong>the</strong> rows (<strong>and</strong> columns)<br />

contain an odd number of letters, starting with 1 <strong>and</strong> increasing each time<br />

by 2 up to some pre-determined number <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>n decreasing by 2 each<br />

time to 1. The box is obviously symmetric about <strong>the</strong> central row <strong>and</strong><br />

column <strong>and</strong> all <strong>the</strong> columns are correctly aligned vertically (Table 4.12).<br />

Table 4.12<br />

A<br />

B C D<br />

E F G H I<br />

J K L M N O P<br />

Q R S T U<br />

V W X<br />

Y<br />

This has <strong>the</strong> advantage that <strong>the</strong> column lengths are variable, which complicates<br />

<strong>the</strong> digraph attack. If we use <strong>the</strong> 7-digit transposition key 3-1-7-<br />

5-2-4-6 for example (Table 4.13)<br />

Table 4.13<br />

3 1 7 5 2 4 6<br />

A<br />

B C D<br />

E F G H I<br />

J K L M N O P<br />

Q R S T U<br />

V W X<br />

Y<br />

<strong>the</strong> transmitted text will be<br />

EKQDH NTXJI OUACG MSWYP BFLRV<br />

Jigsaw <strong>ciphers</strong> 49<br />

<strong>and</strong> letters which were originally adjacent will now be at distances<br />

ranging from 5 (e.g. H–I) to 21 (E–F) from each o<strong>the</strong>r, ra<strong>the</strong>r than at<br />

multiples of 5 as with a normal 5� 5 square.

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