Decoding Poe

What well be doing...

The Problem Crypto Systems Poe and Cryptography (1839 - 1843) The Gold Bug Poes impact on crypto

Decoding Poe

The Problem
And so, what you want to do is protect Alices letter so that Eve cant read it, but Bob can.

Eve

Alice
Decoding Poe

Bob
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What well be doing...

The Problem Crypto Systems Poe and Cryptography (1839 - 1843) The Gold Bug Poes impact on crypto

Decoding Poe

Cryptographic Techniques
Steganography Substitution ciphers Transposition ciphers

Decoding Poe

Caesar Cipher

earliest known substitution cipher replaces each letter by the nth letter further on in the alphabet

Decoding Poe

Caesar Cipher encryption

Plain:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Cipher: D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C

It was a night of illusions. The whole world was unreal. LW ZDV D QLJKW RI LOOXVLRQV. WKH ZKROH ZRUOG ZDV XQUHDO.

Decoding Poe

Caesar Cipher decryption

Plain: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Cipher:D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C

KROPHV KDG EHHQ VHDWHG IRU VRPH KRXUV LQ VLOHQFH. Holmes had been seated for some hours in silence.

Decoding Poe

Cryptanalysis of Caesar Cipher

only have 26 possible cipher alphabets (really 25) could simply try each in turn (brute force) e.g. break the ciphertext "GCUA VQ DTGCM"

Decoding Poe

More general mono-alphabetic ciphers

keyword mono-alphabetic ciphers
EDGARLNPOBCFHIJKMQSTUVWXYZ

mixed mono-alphabetic ciphers 26! = 403,291,461,126,605,635,584,000,000 (thats 403 septillion - and change- different alphabets) do any of these help?

Decoding Poe

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Cryptanalyzing mono-alphabetic ciphers

human languages are redundant W th ppl f th Untd Stts, n rdr t frm mr prfct unn and ... letters are not all used with the same frequency in English E is by far the most common letter then T A O I N S H R D L U other letters are fairly rare cf. Z,J,K,Q,X BUT - mono-alphabetic substitution ciphers do not hide the relative letter frequencies

Decoding Poe

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English Letter Frequencies

150.0

112.5

75.0

37.5

0 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Decoding Poe

ETAOIN SHRDLU

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What well be doing...

The Problem Crypto Systems Poe and Cryptography (1839 - 1843) The Gold Bug Poes impact on crypto

Decoding Poe

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 Alexanders Weekly Messenger (1839 - 1840) Grahams Magazine (1841 - 1843)

Decoding Poe

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A Few Words on Secret Writing

Grahams Magazine, July 1841 Poe writes about several types of cipher systems Transposition ciphers Atbash cipher mixed alphabet mono-alphabetic substitution Alberti cipher disk Cardano grille book ciphers homophonic ciphers
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Few persons can be made to believe that it is not quite an easy thing to invent a method of secret writing which shall baffle investigation. Yet it may be roundly asserted that human ingenuity cannot concoct a cipher which human ingenuity cannot resolve. (A Few Words on Secret Writing)

Circumstances, and a certain bias of mind, have led me to take interest in such riddles, and it may well be doubted whether human ingenuity can construct an enigma of the kind which human ingenuity may not, by proper application, resolve. (The Gold Bug)
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The Frailey Cipher

7i A itagi niinbiiit thitvuiaib9g h auehbiif b ivgiht itau gvuiitiif 4 t$bt2ihtbo iiiadb9 iignit d i2 ta5ta whbo ttbibtiiiit9 A iti if X hti 4 ithtt i bnniathubii iSt b eaovuhoSu vtt7diboif * iti nihd6Xht na3ig an choo$ht utnvotigg2 iibtvo$if b Eaovuavg iinoht$h7 niau iti vtheiigbo iit6 A itagi t7iitig h fifvti iti gvugidviti bubodbub9 A tiiiiaditiavg nbttg iStavi fvuhiiu thnhiti niiiit8 bni 4 iiu$i ht dbo evodbiSa nbiivihiti uavtibg ibeiit dbuvo$if ia niafvti uvgtvnvobi buai9g uii iti giSv9 i2 gvuiiti A uu iiubisg ibg taiit iStavi tbvgi iti itiui A i2 intiuiiibo taovutg an dvaihfh iavitbog f a itivghbgight ittauh$h7g ht t7eiigb9bo iiitavigi. In one of those peripatetic circumrotations I obviated a rustic whom I subjected to catechetical interrogation respecting the nosocomical characteristics of the edifice to which I was approximate. With a volubility uncongealed by the frigorific powers of villatic bashfulness, he ejaculated a voluminous replication from the universal tenor of whose contents I deduce the subsequent amalgamation of heterogeneous facts. Without dubiety incipient pretension is apt to terminate in final vulgarity, as parturient mountains have been fabulated to produce muscupular abortions. The institution the subject of my remarks, has not been without cause the theme of the ephemeral columns of quotidian journalism, and enthusiastic encomiations in conversational intercourse. The key to this cipher is: But find this out and I give it up.
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The Tyler Ciphers

Two ciphers sent to Poe in November 1841(?) Published in the December 1841 issue of Grahams. Poe never published solutions. Terence Whalen solved the first cipher in 1992. The soul secure in her existence smiles at the drawn dagger and defies its point. The stars shall fade away, the sun himself grow dim with age and nature sink in years, but thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, unhurt amid the war of elements, the wreck of matter and the crush of worlds.
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The second cipher was solved by Gil Braza in 2000. It is a homophonic cipher with 671 characters and a variable number of cipher character substitutions for each plaintext alphabet character. For example, there are two characters that substitute for 'z', and 14 characters that substitute for 'e'. There are also about two dozen mistakes in the ciphertext.
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It was early spring, warm and sultry glowed the afternoon. The very breezes seemed to share the delicious langour of universal nature, are laden the various and mingled perfumes of the rose and the essaerne (?), the woodbine and its wildflower. They slowly wafted their fragrant offering to the open window where sat the lovers. The ardent sun shoot fell upon her blushing face and its gentle beauty was more like the creation of romance or the fair inspiration of a dream than the actual reality on earth. Tenderly her lover gazed upon her as the clusterous ringlets were edged (?) by amorous and sportive zephyrs and when he perceived (?) the rude intrusion of the sunlight he sprang to draw the curtain but softly she stayed him. No, no, dear Charles, she softly said, much rather yould I have a little sun than no air at all.

Decoding Poe

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 Poe solved and published nearly 100 cryptograms in Alexanders and Grahams But he wasnt perfect There were several he failed to solve Ewing cipher Young cipher and, of course, the Tyler ciphers (which he may have written himself)

Decoding Poe

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What well be doing...

The Problem Crypto Systems Poe and Cryptography (1839 - 1843) The Gold Bug Poes impact on crypto

Decoding Poe

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The Gold Bug

three types of message hiding steganography a mono-alphabetic cipher (using symbols) a puzzle

Decoding Poe

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The cryptogram

53305))6*;4826)4.)4);806*;488 60))85;1(;:*883(88)5*;46(;88*96 *?;8)*(;485);5*2:*(;4956*2(5*4)8 8*;4069285);)68)4;1(9;48081;8:8 1;4885;4)485528806*81(9;48;(88;4 (?34;48)4;161;:188;?;

Decoding Poe

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The frequency count

Decoding Poe

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English Letter Frequencies

150.0

112.5

75.0

37.5

0 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Decoding Poe

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Legrands decryption

53305))6*;4826)4.)4);806*;488 60))85;1(;:*883(88)5*;46(;88*96 *?;8)*(;485);5*2:*(;4956*2(5*4)8 8*;4069285);)68)4;1(9;48081;8:8 1;4885;4)485528806*81(9;48;(88;4 (?34;48)4;161;:188;?;

Decoding Poe

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The cipher alphabet

A B C D E F G H I J K L M 5 2 - 8 1 3 4 6 0 9 N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z * . ( ) ; ? :

Decoding Poe

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Mapping the cipher and solution

5 3 3 0 5 ) ) 6 * ; 4 8 2 6 ) 4 . ) 4 ) ; 8 0 6 * ; 4 8 8 A g o o d g l a s s i n t h e b i s h o p s h o s t e l i n t h e d e 6 0 ) ) 8 5 ; 1 ( ; : * 8 8 3 ( 8 8 ) 5 * ; 4 6 ( ; 8 8 * 9 6 v i l s s e a t f o r t y o n e d e g r e e s a n d t h i r t e e n m i * ? ; 8 ) * ( ; 4 8 5 ) ; 5 * 2 : * ( ; 4 9 5 6 * 2 ( 5 * 4 ) 8 n u t e s n o r t h e a s t a n d b y n o r t h m a i n b r a n c h s e 8 * ; 4 0 6 9 2 8 5 ) ; ) 6 8 ) 4 ; 1 ( 9 ; 4 8 0 8 1 ; 8 : 8 v e n t h l i m b e a s t s i d e s h o o t f r o m t h e l e f t e y e o 1 ; 4 8 8 5 ; 4 ) 4 8 5 5 2 8 8 0 6 * 8 1 ( 9 ; 4 8 ; ( 8 8 ; 4 f t h e d e a t h s h e a d a b e e l i n e f r o m t h e t r e e t h ( ? 3 4 ; 4 8 ) 4 ; 1 6 1 ; : 1 8 8 ; ? ; r o u g h t h e s h o t f i f t y f e e t o u t

Decoding Poe

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The solution - and the puzzle

A good glass in the bishop's hostel in the devil's seat forty-one degrees and thirteen minutes northeast and by north main branch seventh limb east side shoot from the left eye of the deathshead a bee line from the tree through the shot fifty feet out. A good glass in the bishop's hostel in the devil's seat - forty-one degrees and thirteen minutes north-east and by north - main branch seventh limb east side - shoot from the left eye of the deathshead - a bee line from the tree through the shot fifty feet out.
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What well be doing...

The Problem Crypto Systems Poe and Cryptography (1839 - 1843) The Gold Bug Poes impact on crypto

Decoding Poe

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Holmes, I presume
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective, Sherlock Holmes, was an expert in cryptography. In The Adventure of the Dancing Men, Holmes solves a cipher consisting of stick men, each representing a distinct letter:

Doyle also included cryptograms in The Valley of Fear, The Adventure of the Gloria Scott, and the Adventure of the Red Circle.
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Yardley and Friedman

Herbert O. Yardley read Poe as part of his selfeducation in cryptography. I quickly devoured all the books on cryptography that could be found in the Congressional Library. These were interesting but of no practical value. Next I searched Edgar Allan Poes letters for a glimpse of the scientific treatment of cryptography. These were full of vague boasts of his skill - nothing more.
- The American Black Chamber (pg 20 - 21)

Decoding Poe

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 Friedman wrote Edgar Allan Poe: Cryptographer in 1936.

The way in which Poe puts the matter reminds one very much of the manner in which a conjurer, performing a mystifying trick, extremely simple in itself, surrounds its execution with a great deal of unnecessary stage business to make it appear more complicated and difficult than it really is. Against his will he is driven to the conclusion that Poe was only a dabbler in cryptography. At the same time it is only fair to say that as compared with the majority of other persons of his time in this or in foreign countries, his knowledge of the subject, as an amateur, was sufficient to warrant notice. Had he had opportunity to make cryptography a vocation, there is no doubt that he would have gone far in the profession.
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Wimsatt (1943) What Poe Knew about Cryptography To study Poe at work on ciphers is to find not a wide knowledge and intricate method of procedure, but rather a kind of untrained wit, an intuition which more quickly than accurately grasped the outlines of cryptic principle and immediately with confident imagination proclaimed the whole.

Decoding Poe

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Thanks to the Galesburg Public Library And to the Big Read!

Decoding Poe

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