Cryptography in Italy

I am currently taking Italian as my language.  We all know that Italians like to speak with their hands.  Although the crazy waving of the hands may seem over the top, many arm motions and hand symbols have special meanings in Italy.  The first, obvious example is the rubbing of the belly: to be hungry.  But there are dozens of other symbols that Italians use to share their ideas.  For example, if you point your index finger on your cheek and twist it around, you are telling somebody that what you just ate was delicious. In addition, if you pinch your index finger and thumb together on both hands you are indicating that something is perfect.  Finally, if you hold out your hand with the palm facing up and move your hand up and down, you are basically saying "How Annoying!" Many people from other cultures do not know the meaning of the Italian hand gestures.  There are many more examples but I just wanted to share a few. I like to think that Italians use their own form of cryptography to communicate in silence.

Fun games

I found a lot of fun and interesting cryptology-related games on the internet and I thought I'd share them with you all.

The first site is http://www.mindfun.com/crypto/.  Just click 'Load Puzzle' and you will be given a simple monoalphabetic substitution cipher to solve.  Some of them are quite easy if you use frequency analysis.

http://enchantedmind.com/puzzles/crypto/cryptography.html.  This is very similar to the first site but instead, this has a timer.  You also have the option to receive hints.

http://www.nsa.gov/kids/home.shtml.  This is a kid-oriented website created by the NSA. It features many games and puzzles in an interactive game zone.

http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Boosting-Cryptology-Puzzles-Sarah-Wells/dp/1902813545. This is only a link to a book.  This book is a collection of "Brain Boosting Cryptology Puzzles," much like the title suggests.

If you have any free time you should check these out.  Some of them are really fun!

Smart Cards

This is a smart card.  It contains a microchip that has the ability to compute cryptographic algorithms.  An enlarged photo of the chip is seen below the card.  Most of these chips use algorithms called RSA or Triple DES.  These cards are beneficial because they provide much more security than other cards.  They also serve purposes other than being used to buy things.  They can help access personal information securely.  I find it cool that such a small chip has the power to solve such algorithms.

The Poznan Monument

The photograph above shows the Poznan Monument in Poland.  The monument is dedicated to the Polish cryptanalysts who broke the German code during World War II.  The Germans were using enigma machines to encrypt their messages.  The Polish Cypher Bureau hired three young, intelligent mathematics graduates from Poznan University.  Their names were Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski.  They worked hard for seven years and on July 25, 1939, they shared their discovery with the French and British.  Historians believe the war in Europe ended two years earlier than it could have because of these findings.  I think it is amazing that people can solve the secret to such an intricate device.  

DVD Encryption

DVD discs have a special encryption on them that protects against people making copies and removing the data from the disc.  This encryption is meant to be secure and and strong, but in reality, the code is very weak.  DVD encryption is a great example of how the code breakers have beaten the code makers.  It is extremely easy to remove the encryption from a DVD disc and access the files within.  There is a program available for download on the internet called "DVD Decrypter."  Basically, it is a program that decrypts a copy protected DVD and allows somebody to make copies or transfer the data stored on the disc.  In the U.S., it is illegal to make copies of a DVD.  It amazes me that a program like this is so easy to access and use.  Should the U.S. government do something about this?  Thousands of people around the country use this software to make illegal copies.  It is just too easy.  Code makers should try and create a better code for DVD's.  It is unfair to the people who work hard to create movies and shows.

Cryptology in Sports

Cryptology is used in thousands of different ways, but one of the most intriguing applications is in sports.  As I was looking through the library databases for journals about cryptology, I stumbled upon an article called "Cryptology in Baseball."  It got me thinking that cryptology is used all the time in sports.  At first, you may not notice cryptology being used in sports, but truth is, almost every team in the world uses cryptology.  Let's take baseball for example.  Have you ever seen the coach making signs to the players on the field?  This is cryptology.  There is a secret code that each player on the team knows.  For example, if Buck Showalter, manager of the Orioles, touches his left ear, it could mean that Adam Jones, the player on first base, should steal second base.  Only the players on the Orioles would know the meaning of Showalter's code.  Also, there are other aspects of cryptology seen in baseball.  Nulls, or symbols that appear in a code but have no meaning are used very often.  When the manager gives his code, he often throws in other random signs to try and confuse the other team and prevent them from stealing the code.

Other sports use cryptology as well.  Football teams have a code used to call plays.  Basketball players often hold up a certain amount of fingers to initiate a certain play or formation.  These are only a few examples.  Next time you watch a sporting event, try to pick up on some of the codes being used. Feel free to leave a comment describing where you have seen cryptology being used in sports. 

The Beale Ciphers

After reading chapter 2 of The Code Book, by Simon Singh, I became interested in the Beale ciphers and treasure.  I couldn't decide whether or not it was a hoax or a real thing.  I thought, why would anyone go through the trouble of writing this intense cipher if it was never to be used?  At first I thought it was real, but I soon changed my mind.  The Beale ciphers consist of three entire pages of numbers.  One of these pages has been solved. This solved message contains information about buried treasure.  According to Beale, there is a large amount of gold, silver, and jewels buried in the ground somewhere in Bedford County, VA.  Later, the message goes on to say that the exact location of the treasure is written in the first message and the intended receivers' of the treasure are written in the third message. Nobody could crack the code.

That was in 1821. It is now 2011.  190 years and the Beale ciphers remain unsolved.  I truly believe it is a hoax.  Even modern super-computers can't decipher the Beale papers.  I think Thomas Jefferson Beale wanted to pull a huge prank on everybody in the world.  Thousands of people attempt to decipher the Beale papers but are always unsuccessful.  People even travel to Bedford County to search for the hidden treasure but nobody has ever found it.  There is just no way.

Here is a link to a site claiming they have found the Beale treasure:

http://bealesolved.tripod.com/

Do you think they found the real Beale treasure?  Post a comment.

Alberti Cipher Disk

During the 1460's, a man named Leon Battista Alberti discovered a new, better way of encrypting messages.  Older ciphers only used one cipher alphabet, which made it extremely easy to break the code.  All one would have to do is use simple frequency analysis.  Having more than one cipher alphabet makes it  much more difficult to decrypt the code.  The Alberti cipher disk is an instrument that can be used to encrypt and decrypt polyalphabetic ciphers.  It consists of two rings of letters that can be rotated and matched up to make different cipher alphabets.  The sender and receiver must agree upon an index letter.  This letter is basically the starting point of the entire cipher. Let's say the index is 'A' and the first letter in the cipher text is a 'g'.  The person who is trying to decrypt the message must line up the g of the inside ring to the A on the outside.  This sets up the disk for the encryption of the remainder of the message.  If the cipher text letter ever ends up matching to a number on the ring, the person decrypting the message must rotate the disks so that the letter that matched up with the number now matches to the original index letter.  Try to solve this message.  It is a quote from HBO's, The Wire.

Index: T

Ciphertext: hkxkyvshcch_textnocmq

(the underscore is a letter that is not on the cipher disk)