cryptography-msg - 12/20/99 Codes and code-breaking in period. NOTE: See also the files: languages-msg, Latin-msg, alchemy-msg, Latin-online-art, Med-Math-Sci-bib, seals-bib, seals-msg, sealing-wax-msg, P-Polit-Songs-art. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Newsgroups: rec.org.sca From: sommerfeld at apollo.hp.com (Bill Sommerfeld) Subject: Re: Hazardous complaints Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1993 17:24:42 GMT Organization: HP Apollo Systems Division, Chelmsford, MA. doconnor at sedona.intel.com (Dennis O'Connor) writes: sommerfeld at apollo.hp.com (Bill Sommerfeld) writes: ] Rot-13 is a simple substitution cipher with a known key. Encoding and ] decoding use the same substitution: ] ] ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ] NOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKLMnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklm ] ] Non-alphabetic characters are left untouched. Ob. SCA: I think it's a period cypher, too. It actually pre-dates our period; a "rotation" cipher like this is attributed to Julius Caesar (though by the accounts I've read, he rotated by two letters rather than 13). Period ciphers typically used "nomenclators" (basically numbered dictionaries of words expected to be used), unusual alphabets (greek, or geometric symbols), etc. Some use of nomenclators used plaintext around it (i.e. "Will meet 653 at 467 to discuss 53 on 265"); occasionally folks got the bright idea of squeezing out inter-word spaces, and using nulls and multiple encodings for vowels (to discourage statistical analysis based on letter frequency). My source for this: vague memories of Kahn's "The Codebreakers", which is an (excellent) history of cryptography from antiquity until just after world war II. - Bill From: hwt at bnr.ca (Henry Troup) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Cryptography in Period (was... Francois Viete) Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 11:07:14 -0500 Organization: Bell-Northern Research jeffs at math.bu.EDU (Jeff Suzuki) wrote: ... > cryptography, and the greatest (or best known) cryptanalyst in period > was the French mathematician Francois Viete, who regularly decrypted > the Spanish military codes. The Spaniards, who couldn't figure out > why the French were beating them (well, who wouldn't be), accused > Viete of witchcraft. Anyone know where I can get details of the case? > I.e., specific accusations, the outcome (if any -- IMSC, the charges > were pretty much ignored), etc.? Also, what _was_ the Spanish > military code of the time, that Viete could decrypt it? A good question. The first reasonably strong code was the Playfair cipher, which was well out of period. I suspect that most period codes were either Caesar ciphers (like rot-13) or book substitution ciphers. (Take a book, which the recipient also owns. There are several ways to use this, either count letters in some chapter or locate the word you want in some chapter, then substitute some notation. For example, Genesis 1:1 begins "In the beginning...". You could encode the letter "I" as 1 - from the first letter; or the word "In" as 1 - from the first word. Conventions can be introduced to permit switching from word or letter code.) Most such ciphers fall to frequency analysis, often on short samples. This would indicate that Viete was also a pioneer of statistics, I guess. These are vague and poor researched speculations... -- Henry Troup - hwt at bnr.ca disclaimer - as usual From: pat at lloyd.com (Pat McGregor) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Cryptography in Period (was... Francois Viete) Date: 17 Mar 1995 08:37:36 -0800 Organization: House Northmark, Mountain's Gate, Cynagua, the West Greetings from siobhan! Baron Henry wrote: > >The first reasonably strong code was the Playfair >cipher, which was well out of period. I suspect that most period >codes were either Caesar ciphers (like rot-13) or book substitution >ciphers. I've also read of codes which depended on a physical trick, such as wrapping a strip of [writing material] around a staff and writing your message on the strip of material. Then, the recipient must also have a staff of the same diameter in order to decipher the message. My failing memory says that this is Attic or Spartan, but I remember not more pertinent details. regards, siobhan ====================================================== Pat McGregor pat at lloyd.com 3331 Kimberly Road +1 916 677 6607 (voice) Cameron Park, CA 95682 +1 916 677 3442 (fax) From: UDSD073 at DSIBM.OKLADOT.STATE.OK.US (Mike Andrews) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Pearl harbor and Francois Viete Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 14:18 Organization: The University of Oklahoma (USA) In article <199503162253.RAA16091 at math.bu.edu>, jeffs at math.bu.EDU (Jeff Suzuki) writes: > ... and the greatest (or best known) cryptanalyst in period >was the French mathematician Francois Viete, who regularly decrypted >the Spanish military codes. The Spaniards, who couldn't figure out >why the French were beating them (well, who wouldn't be), accused >Viete of witchcraft. Anyone know where I can get details of the case? >I.e., specific accusations, the outcome (if any -- IMSC, the charges >were pretty much ignored), etc.? Also, what _was_ the Spanish >military code of the time, that Viete could decrypt it? David Kahn, in his book _The Codebreakers_, says that the Spanish nomenclator given to Moreo "consisted of the usual alphabet with homophonic substitutions, plus a code list of 413 terms represented by groups of 2 or 3 letters (LO=_Spain_, PUL=_Navarre_, POM=_King of Spain_) or of two numbers, either underlined (underlined-64=_confederation_) or dotted (overdotted-94=_Your Majesty_). A line above a two-digit group indicated a null." (Kahn, p. 117) Kahn defines a nomenclator thus:" ... a system that was half a code and half a cipher ... . It usually had a separate cipher alphabet with homophones and a codelike list of names, words, and syllables." (Kahn, p. xv) Kahn further says, "Meanwhile, Philip had learned, from his own interceptions of French letters, that Viete had broken a cipher that the Spanish -- who apparently knew little about cryptanalysis -- had thought unbreakable. It irritated him, and thinking that he would cause trouble to the French at no cost to himself, {he} told the pope that Henry could have read his ciphers only by black magic. But the tactic boomeranged. The pope, cognizant of the ability of his own cryptologist, Giovanni Batista Argenti, and perhaps even aware that papal cryptanalysts had solved one of Philip's ciphers 30 years before, did nothing about the Spaniard's complaint; all Philip got for his effort was the ridicule and derision of everyone who heard about it." (Kahn, p. 118) >William the Alchymist -- udsd007 at ibm.okladot.state.ok.us (192.149.244.136) Michael Fenwick of Fotheringhay, O.L. (Mike Andrews) Namron, Ansteorra From: john.robarts at mercopus.com (John Robarts) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Cryptography in Period (w Date: 27 Mar 95 23:19:00 GMT Organization: Mercury Opus BBS - St. Petersburg, FL - 813-321-0734 SH>\<< Henry Troup quoth unto All thusly >>/ SH>HT> From: hwt at bnr.ca (Henry Troup) SH>HT> In article <199503162253.RAA16091 at math.bu.edu>, jeffs at math.bu.EDU >HT> (Jeff Suzuki) wrote: SH>... >> cryptography, and the greatest (or best known) cryptanalyst in period >> was the French mathematician Francois Viete, who regularly decrypted >> the Spanish military codes. The Spaniards, who couldn't figure out >> why the French were beating them (well, who wouldn't be), accused >> Viete of witchcraft. Anyone know where I can get details of the case? >> I.e., specific accusations, the outcome (if any -- IMSC, the charges >> were pretty much ignored), etc.? Also, what _was_ the Spanish >> military code of the time, that Viete could decrypt it? SH>What cipher did Shakespeare use? I've heard he wrote some things (his >epitaph?) that have never been satisfactorily decoded... SH>(Anyone know more about this?) Indeed! The Bard used a "bilitteral" cipher. That is, he used two VERY slightly different fonts as he wrote. For instance, the trailing end of a capital letter "A" would be slightly longer in one font than the other. As he wrote, each letter would be selected from one font or the other to produce five letter code groups. If you were to designate one font as "A" and the other one as "B" then the groups could be represented by combinations such as these: aabba aaaaa bbabb ababa bbaaa aabbb babab etc. etc. Each of these groups represent a letter, usually in order. Like A=aaaaa B=aaaab C=aaaba D=aaabb etc. etc. .... (Please note this is a BINARY format very much like ASCII!!!!!!!!!) Anyway, from this point the decoded letters are compared to a "slip wheel". A slip wheel is simply two rings, one inside the other, each with the alphabet inscribed on them. The rings may be rotated against one another to align different letters together. This part is a straight substitution cipher. For example: A=C, B=D, C=E, etc. etc. ... or any other displacement value. Knowing which displacement to use can only be determined through trial by error, by looking for subtle clues within the body of the ciphertext itself, or by application of suitable cryptologic mathematics. Recognition of the plaintext at this point is possible but often not obvious as it was usually written BACKWARDS! Of course the Gentleman in question may have used many other techniques. I hope this information is a help. Wouldn't it be nice if there were some nice GIFs of the original manuscripts!! Corwin ap Arawyn From: john.robarts at mercopus.com (John Robarts) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Cryptography in Period (w Date: 10 Apr 95 01:19:00 GMT Organization: Mercury Opus BBS - St. Petersburg, FL - 813-321-0734 MA>Reply-To: udsd007 at dsibm.okladot.state.ok.us MA>In article <5939.1402.uupcb at mercopus.com>, MA>john.robarts at mercopus.com (John Robarts) writes: MA>>Indeed! The Bard used a "bilitteral" cipher. That is, he used two MA>>VERY slightly different fonts as he wrote. For instance, the trailing MA>>end of a capital letter "A" would be slightly longer in one font than MA>>the other. As he wrote, each letter would be selected from one font or MA>>the other to produce five letter code groups. If you were to designate MA>>one font as "A" and the other one as "B" then the groups could be MA>>represented by combinations such as these: aabba aaaaa bbabb ababa bbaaa MA>>aabbb babab etc. etc. Each of these groups represent a letter, usually MA>>in order. Like A=aaaaa B=aaaab C=aaaba D=aaabb etc. etc. .... (Please MA>>note this is a BINARY format very much like ASCII!!!!!!!!!) MA>>Anyway, from this point the decoded letters are compared to a MA>>"slip wheel". A slip wheel is simply two rings, one inside the other, MA>>each with the alphabet inscribed on them. The rings may be rotated MA>>against one another to align different letters together. This part is a MA>>straight substitution cipher. For example: A=C, B=D, C=E, etc. etc. ... MA>>or any other displacement value. Knowing which displacement to use can MA>>only be determined through trial by error, by looking for subtle clues MA>>within the body of the ciphertext itself, or by application of suitable MA>>cryptologic mathematics. Recognition of the plaintext at this point is MA>>possible but often not obvious as it was usually written BACKWARDS! MA>This "slip wheel" is actually the cipher disk invented, to MA>the best of my knowledge (and that of David Kahn) by Leon MA>Battista Alberti, who was born about 1404. .... so some claim. Actually the "slip wheel" was a natural development of a VERY MUCH OLDER system. i.e. *LONG strips of narrow paper or cloth are covered with what appear to be random letters. Only when the strip is carefully wound around a cylinder of an exact and specific diameter can the plaintext be read. Of course this type of code was not too hard to break. However as an expediant means of secure communication it had good use, a cylinder of the precise diameter would not likely be close a hand and very considerable effort would have to be used to arrive at the correct size. Further more the key was VERY easy to remember! And even if the user had trouble remembering the correct size it would be a very simple matter to keep an innocent "token" to guage the diameter, for instance, a walking stick, dagger handle, or maybe even his FINGER! MA>Let me commend to your attention, and to the attention of MA>all, the chapters of David Kahn's book _The Codebreakers_ MA>entitled "Ciphers in the Past Tense" and "The Pathology of MA>Cryptography", which deal with the ciphers alleged to have MA>been used by Shakespeare. Well, I just this very minute finished rereading "Ciphers in the Past Tense" from "The Code Breakers" by David Kahn. And it MAKES no mention of Shakespeare AT ALL ! I also would have liked to read " The Pathology of Crytography" in the same book, BUT IT DOESN'T EXIST. If you ever get a copy of this book however you can find the Bard mentioned on pages 184-185, 416, 459. Nothing there really refutes Shakespearean use of Cryptology. MA>>Of course the Gentleman in question may have used many other MA>>techniques. MA>done a largish amount of reading in the past 35 years. William MA>and Elizabeth Friedman did a great deal of work along these MA>lines at Riverbank Laboratories, and (with Dr. Fred Miller of MA>the FBI) utter demolished a principal proponent of the thesis A careful look at their feeble attempts at "The Beale Code" will call into question their competancy in these matters. However this line of thought is probably more suited to another echo. MA>that Shakespeare's First Folio contained messages in a MA>biliteral (Baconian) cipher. Frederick Goudy, the MA>typographer, drove the final nails into the coffin of this MA>thesis, concluding that a multiplicity of typefaces had been MA>used, instead of just two. ... well maybe, you argue it that way, however, they Still break down into a very good semblance of TWO groups. One of the greatest problems in the Study of Historical Cryptology in our modern adherance to precision. In past times the naturalistic environment let to a more defocused developement. For example a modern computer doing a word search would not recognize that the letter "r" may mean "are", "u" = "you" etc. etc. MA>>Wouldn't it be nice if there MA>>were some nice GIFs of the original manuscripts!! MA>I'd like to have the GIFs for their own value, which (IMHO) MA>is considerable. --- Date: Thu, 11 Dec 1997 22:49:42 -0500 (EST) From: "Charles J. Cohen" To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: Espionage >I am currently searching for information on period espionage. I am unable to >locate any outside of what I already have. Does anybody out there have any I >dea where i can get my hands on period material, without having to write the >CIA. This might not be what you are looking for, but...Cryptanalysis sort of started around 1589. Spain had a 600 character cipher, which was changed periodically and thought to be impossible to break. Henry IV gave the problem to the mathematician Francisus Vieta, who decoded it. The French used it for two years, decoding secret Spanish documents. Philip II of Spain complained to Pope Sixtus V that the French must be using sorcery ... - Midair From: Joe Skeesick Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Codes and Ciphers Date: Sat, 30 Oct 1999 14:48:09 GMT Deykin ap Gwion wrote: > Just finished reading Kahn's The Code breakers and was wondering if > anyone knows details about in-period cryptographic systems... I'm sure > I could invent multiple substitution ciphers which would work > substantially like Period crypts would, but I'm looking for any detailed > analysis of in period systems... I'm sure the Florentine and Star > Chamber would have used them aplenty. > > Deykin Not specifically the type of crypto you are referring to but...... In a program hosted by Terry Jones (I will look back through some things see if I can find the name of it wasn't "The Crusades") He spoke of different signal codes. One of particular interest was where two Roman out posts both with barrels of water and a floating stick with a series of messages marked on it (i.e. "all clear", "replacement needed", "this job sucks", et) a torch was waved, both barrels plugs were opened and the water was drained, when the signal torch went up again the hole was plugged. The message then in line with the top of the barrel was the one passed. With such "fail safe" messaging systems like that, no wonder there were more than one instance of communication break down. I will look up the film info since I'm fairly sure he actually went on to speak about some actual cryptographic systems of the time, which would give you places to start in your study since even those references would be just surface glances compared to what you seem to want. Janos Date: Sat, 23 Oct 1999 19:42:51 -0400 From: james koch Organization: alchem inc Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Codes and Ciphers Joe Skeesick wrote: > I will look up the film info since I'm fairly sure he actually went on to > speak about some actual cryptographic systems of the time, which would give > you places to start in your study since even those references would be just > surface glances compared to what you seem to want. > > Janos You might also read Strategemata(sp?) by Frontinus. He writes of all sorts of trickery used in classical warfare, though I can't remember any specific references to codes. Of course the Pythagoreans supposedly used mathematical encryption. Julius Caesar mentions in his Bello Gallica(sp?) how while surrounded during a siege, the Romans sent couriers through the enemy lines with letters written in Greek which the Gauls of that region could not read. During the middle ages the most notorious users of codes were the alchemists. Of course at that time encryption was really not a major concern since widespread illiteracy and the fact that (at least in Europe) most writing was done in Latin or Greek made letters inherently more private (assuming you and the intended recipient could read and write). If you want a really interesting (though suspect) book on the subject of classical and medieval encryption, read The White Goddess. It describes the training of Druids in the use of hand and body signals. This was supposedly used by them to secretly share information while in the presence of outsiders. It made the local yokels believe the Druid priests had real magical powers. They supposedly developed the techniques used to this day by faith healers, and stage psychics. Jim Koch (Gladius The Alchemist) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca From: djheydt at kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) Subject: Re: Codes and Ciphers Organization: Kithrup Enterprises, Ltd. Date: Sat, 30 Oct 1999 19:49:13 GMT james koch wrote: >Joe Skeesick wrote: >... read The White Goddess. No, *don't* read The White Goddess. Not if you're looking for information. (If you just want a fun read, go right ahead.) Graves, whenever he didn't have enough information, just *made it up.* So did Marion Zimmer Bradley; so do I; but we don't market the result as scholarly research, but as fantasy fiction. Dorothy J. Heydt Albany, California djheydt at kithrup.com http://www.kithrup.com/~djheydt From: Lou Stewart Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: Codes and Ciphers Date: 31 Oct 1999 03:20:12 GMT Deykin ap Gwion wrote: > Just finished reading Kahn's The Code breakers and was wondering if > anyone knows details about in-period cryptographic systems... I'm sure > I could invent multiple substitution ciphers which would work > substantially like Period crypts would, but I'm looking for any detailed > analysis of in period systems... I'm sure the Florentine and Star > Chamber would have used them aplenty. > > Deykin One of the better known ciphers was the one used by Mary Queen of Scots and her associates when they were conspiring to assassinate Elizabeth and put Mary on the throne. When the code was broken by agents of Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's principal secretary, the messages implicated Mary and six or seven main conspirators, and they were all eventually executed. Mary's grandson, Charles I, was also undone in connection with ciphers, but that is another story, and out of period. :) In service, Luigsech ni Ifearnain Edited by Mark S. Harris cryptography-msg Page 9 of 9