solving cyphers

[+TheLoveBusCachers]

how do you solve these i have no idea where to start.

[+popokiiti]

Neither do I - you are not alone!

[+Knight2000]

They are not all the same. Some may look like ciphers but are really just red herrings.

[+dfx]

http://www.vectorsite.net/ttcode_01.html

 

http://www.quadibloc.com/crypto/intro.htm

 

http://williamstallings.com/Extras/Securit.../classical.html

 

good luck

[+TheLoveBusCachers]

ok like this one for example

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...8b-20ac23600869

[+dfx]

rule #1: do not provide solutions to puzzle caches in this forum.

rule #2: do not ask for solutions to puzzle caches in this forum.

 

but i can tell you that after decrypting the cipher (took me about 30 seconds) it tells you that you need a boat or canoe and climbing gear, among other things. you may want to try some other cache first

[+TheLoveBusCachers]

i still dont understand =[ math was never my thing

[+TheLoveBusCachers]

ok but using that kind of crypt could you make up one on your own as an example and show us how to solve it?

[+dfx]

ok but using that kind of crypt could you make up one on your own as an example and show us how to solve it?

well, we could, but that would indirectly provide a solution (as in "method to solve") to the puzzle. and the cache owner of this cache definitely wouldn't appreciate that.

 

i can tell you that it requires a certain amount of geekiness and nerdiness to decrypt this text. if there's any people like that in your circle of acquaintances, you may get lucky asking one of them for help. it may not be much of a cipher to them...

[+Ink Spots]

Ciphers vary greatly - I glanced at the one on this cache (which does not look like a cache I would start with, nor probably try anytime soon, cool though it appears to be) and I don't recognize it offhand, which is not surprising. Solving ciphers is a science (and to some extent an art) unto itself.

 

The most basic ciphers are simple substitution ciphers, like the "rot13" cipher used to encode additional hints. (That one is even easier than most because it's a constant shift.) Even if it's not a standard shift down the alphabet, a substitution cipher just replaces one character with another; a = 7, b = g, w = +, etc. They are fairly easy to solve by looking at things like letter frequency and knowing that "e" is the most common letter in English, "th" and "io" often appear together, "ss" and "oo" are common double letters, and so on. The longer the encoded text, the easier this is to do.

 

At the other end of the spectrum are ciphers you might see that start with "-----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----". If you can solve that, a lot of mathematicians and computer scientists (and probably some government people) will want to talk to you. :-) This is rather beyond the realm of "puzzle" though.

 

In general, there is a process for transforming the original text into the cipher text. The trick is to deduce what that is, and reverse it. Clues may often be found in various aspects of the cipher text, especially in puzzle caches where the goal isn't really to make it impossible to solve (which *is* the goal in full-strength encryption).

[+briansnat]

ok but using that kind of crypt could you make up one on your own as an example and show us how to solve it?

 

There is no one way to solve a cypher because all are different. I solve them by putting them on my ignore list.

[+Knight2000]

We have a puzzle that I think folks think is a cipher when in fact it is all a red herring. I've had people come up with coordinates from my mumbo jumbo! I hope no one stones me when they figure it out.

[+niraD]

The owner of that one rates its difficulty as 5 stars: "A serious mental or physical challenge. Requires specialized knowledge, skills, or equipment to find cache."

 

As others have suggested, you mind want to ignore this one for now. Just as it's a good idea to start with easier traditional caches and then work your way up to more difficult traditional caches, it's also a good idea to start with easier puzzle caches and ciphers, and work your way up to more difficult puzzle caches and ciphers.

[oakenwood]

ok like this one for example

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...8b-20ac23600869

 

That is so easy! There's no math involved, other than counting (see my post in the other [now closed] thread.)

[Laserion]

Would it be OK to post what it says, if I block the link needed to actually start the journey? Just to pike interest even more.

[+dfx]

Would it be OK to post what it says, if I block the link needed to actually start the journey? Just to pike interest even more.

i would think yes, but you should really ask the CO that

[oakenwood]

Would it be OK to post what it says, if I block the link needed to actually start the journey? Just to pike interest even more.

Do you mean "guvf pnpur vf n avar fgntr pnpur..." or the cleartext? I think you should leave a bit of challenge to it. Edited May 5, 2010 by oakenwood

[+ras_oscar]

There'a a standard PQ feature that deals with puzzles quite effectively. Its called the ignore button