Since humans developed dog language, we have used secret codes and ciphers to obscure messages. The Ancient Greeks and Egyptians used codes to transmit personal communications, which is the basis for modern-day code-breaking. Cryptanalysis is the study of codes and how to crack them. Cracking codes is a world of secrets and gimmicks, and can be a lot of fun. If you want to crack the code, you can learn about the most common codes and how to start uncovering their secrets. See Step 1 for more information.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Cracking the Change Password
Step 1. Start searching for single letter words in the message
Most code that uses relatively simple substitutions is easy to crack by doing a simple plug-and-chug, understanding the letters one by one and patiently figuring out the code based on guesswork.
- One-letter words in English are "I" or "a," so you should try to "clog" the letters, look for letter patterns, and--basically--you play the role of the executioner. If you find the word "a - -", you know the words that most often use this pattern are "are" or "and." Guess and check. If that doesn't work, go back and try the other options again. Be patient and try it slowly.
- Don't worry about "cracking" code as much as you worry about learning to read it. Looking for patterns and recognizing rules that use English (or any language it's encoded in) will allow you to crack the code with time and effort.
Step 2. Find the symbol or letter that occurs most often
The most commonly used letter in English is "e," followed by "t" and "a." As you work out, use your introduction to common words and sentence structures to start making logical guesses. You won't be sure often, but the game of breaking the code is played by making logical choices and repeatedly correcting mistakes.
Pay attention to the double symbols and short words and start solving the symbols and words first. It's easier to make a "smart" guess at the word "an" or "in" or "at" than the word "highway."
Step 3. Find the letters after the apostrophe
If the message uses punctuation, you're in luck. This can provide many other clues that you can learn to identify. Apostrophes will almost always be followed by the letters S, T, D, M, LL, or RE. So if you get two of the same symbols after the apostrophe, you've solved the letter "L".
Step 4. Try to determine what other code you have found
If, when you solve, you recognize one of the common types of code from the code above, you've cracked it and can stop plugging-and-chugging and continue populating messages based on that code. It probably won't happen that often, but the more familiar you are with common codes the more likely you are to recognize the types of codes used and be able to crack them.
Substitution of numbers and keypad codes is common in everyday, basic-level secret messages. Look at the codes and use them if they feel appropriate
Part 2 of 3: Identifying Common Codes
Step 1. Learn to recognize alternate passwords
Basically, a surrogate cipher consists of replacing one letter with another, according to predetermined rules. The rules are codes, and learning and using them is the way to "break" the code and read the secret message.
Even if the code contains numbers, the Cyrillic alphabet, odd symbols, or hieroglyphs, as long as the type of symbol used is consistent, you may be dealing with a replacement cipher, which means you will need to learn the alphabet used and the rules applied to crack the code
Step 2. Learn how to password using squares
The Greeks used the earliest type of cipher, which used a grid of letters associated with numbers, then used the numbers to create messages. It's easy-to-use code, and it's been the cornerstone of modern day code breaking. If you get a message that includes a long string of numbers, it may have been encoded this way.
- The most basic form of the code uses rows 1-5 and columns 1-5, then fills the matrix with each letter from left to right and down the grid (combining the letters I and J into one space). Each letter in the code is represented by two numbers, the column on the left holds the first number, and the row above holds the second number.
- To encode the word "wikihow" in this way, you will get the code: 52242524233452
- A simpler version of this method often used by children involves writing numbers that are directly related to where the letters of the alphabet are located. A=1, B=2, and so on.
Step 3. Learn the Cesar shift
Julius Caesar created a code that is good, easy to use and understand, but very difficult to crack, so it is one of the fundamental code systems still being studied today as the basis for more complex codes. In this way, you move the position of the entire alphabet several times in one direction. In other words, shifting the remaining three spaces will replace the letter A with D, B with E, and so on.
- This is also the basic principle behind a common children's code called "ROT1" (which means, "turn once." With this code, all letters are advanced one place, so A is replaced by B, B by C, and so on.
- Encoded "wikihow" using Cesar basic shift with three positions to the left would be: zlnlkrz
Step 4. Look for the keyboard pattern
Keyboard replacement uses the traditional American keyboard pattern (QWERTY), generally by changing the letters up, down, left or right in a certain number of positions. By changing the position of the letters in certain directions on the keyboard, you can create simple codes. By knowing the change of direction, then you can crack the code.
By shifting the column position up one place, you can code for the word "wikihow" like this: "28i8y92"
Step 5. Check if you have a multi-characterized password
In the basic substitution cipher, the coder creates alternate alphabets to create the encoded message. Beginning in a certain period after the Middle Ages, these types of codes became too easy to crack and ciphers began to use a variety of methods that used multiple alphabets in one code, making the resulting code much more difficult to crack if the method was unknown.
- Trimethius's tableau is a 26 x 26 patterned grid containing each shift of Cesar's alphabet, which is alphabetically ordered, or sometimes represented as a rotating tube, or "tabula recta". There are various ways to use the grid as code, including using the first line to encode the first letter in the message, the second line to the second letter, and so on.
- The code generator will also use the password to refer to a specific field for each letter of the encoded message. In other words, if the password was "wikihow" and the encoder used this method, you would refer to the row "W" and column of the first letter of the encoded code to determine the first letter of the message. This is hard to crack without knowing the password.
Part 3 of 3: Become a Codebreaker
Step 1. Be patient
Cracking the code requires a lot of patience and persistence. The activity is slow and tedious, often frustrating because we have to guess over and over again, trying different keys and words and methods. If you intend to crack the code, learn to be calm and patient, while enjoying the mysteries and games.
Step 2. Write your own code
On paper, scriptwriting is fun, but jumping right into polyalphabetic code without the help of keywords is even more difficult. Learning to code yourself using complex code systems is a great way to learn how coders think and learn to crack them. The best codebreakers are also good at writing their own code and creating much more challenging ciphers. Challenge yourself to learn more complicated ways and how to solve them.
Analyzing criminals' codes and ciphers can be a good way to retrieve business secrets. Bookmakers, drug lords, Zodiac killers and all of them have developed incredibly complex codes that are well worth learning
Step 3. Try the famous unbreakable code
As part of its public fun approach, the FBI periodically publishes codes for the public to try to crack. Try the codes and submit your answers. Who knows--you'll find a job soon.
Kryptos, a public statue located outside the CIA headquarters, is perhaps the most famous unbreakable code in the world. Initially the code was created as a test for agents, involving four separate boards with four different codes. It took ten years for the first analyst to crack three of the codes, but the last one remains unbreakable
Step 4. Enjoy the challenge and mystery
Breaking the code is like living in a novel by Dan Brown. Learn to enjoy the mysteries and challenges of secret codes and experience the thrill of uncovering secrets.
Tips
- Don't be discouraged if you spend a lot of time cracking a code. This is normal.
- If the code is printed, it is very possible that the code is typed in special letters such as Wingdings. This may be part of the double encryption (windings describe the encoded message).
- The letter "e" is the most frequently used letter in the English language.
- One letter will hardly ever represent itself ("A" will not replace "A").
- One letter in the encryption does not mean one letter in the decoded message.
- Cracking the code is easier if the message is longer. It's hard to crack short codes because you won't be able to count the number of times the letters are used.
Warning
- Be careful with very complicated and unbreakable code. Do not be crazy!
- Some codes are designed in such a way that it is impossible to crack unless you have a lot of information. That is, even if you have the key for encryption, it seems impossible. Requires software or mere guesswork.
