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New Encryption For Cache Hints?


geotapo

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hi,

 

when you print a cache description there's this "Additional Hint(s)" 'crypted' in rot13. You can print it crypted and you'll have the problem to decrypt the text "in the wild" (thats annoying). Or you may click on "decrypt" and print the page (+put it in your bag) without reading these lines accidentally. Not that easy.

 

I thought about how to make this easier. I tried to find an 'encrpytion' that prevents reading the text accidentally but allowing easy decryption.

 

See some examples:

A:

'yyoeul lfoiwn ds ttohnee cuancdheer 2a0 ms mfarlolm rtohcek '

B:

'si_nn_foin_eu_uoofn__tohne__effooufre_hhfa_zeezl___nfunto_tt_rfeneos'

 

You can't read it. But decryption is easy! :-)

 

A:

First read character 1, 3, 5, 7, 9... to the end, then restart with 2,4,6,8,... .

B:

Ignore character 1,3,5,7,9..., or just read 2,4,6,8,....

 

I think these two alternatives are better than rot13, and I'ld be happy to see one of them on geocache.com.

 

You can try out these two encryptions (and others) on these online tools (text in german):

http://www.taponet.de/projects/verschleier...er+a+small+rock

http://www.taponet.de/projects/verschleier...s&modus=1weg1da

 

Or go to the following link (in german) to read about some other ways:

http://www.taponet.de/projects/verschleierung/ (german)

 

Have fun, :D

geotapo.

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The problem with that scheme is in blank spaces. It has to consider blanks, but it can be very difficult to determine how many blank spaces there are when strung together. This is especially true when using a proportional font. And browsers compress multiple spaces into a single space, making it impossible to properly decode the message. Using underscores doesn't help much either. Is this "____" 3, 4, 5, or 6 underscores?

 

Rot13 doesn't have this problem, is very simple to use, and has been around for decades. The only drawback to Rot13 is that it doesn't encode numbers.

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Since we are still in the stone ages, I decode and print the pages before we go caching. However, I fold the part of the page where the clue is then tape it closed. That way there is no chance to 'accidentally' read it. Takes about 10 seconds to fold and tape. (And it's always funny to be near the cache, hunting, and turn and catch Brazin trying to un-tape the page and cheat...)

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The problem with that scheme is in blank spaces. It has to consider blanks...

Yes, the space problem. Just print alternating '_' and ' ' in space groups...

Or hash marks (wouldn't allow hask marks in text).

 

Example:

'go six feet north and look up' : 'gtoh sainxd fleoeotk nuopr'

 

With alternating '_'/' ':

'gtoh_ sainxd_ fleoeotk_ nuopr'

 

With '#' for ' ':

'gtoh##sainxd##fleoeotk##nuopr'

 

Looks OK to me.

 

Print it: no folding necessary. :-)

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I must say I do like the encryption method you suggest a lot better than the rot13 method. The great thing about your suggestion is, because the code can be decrypted through mere sight-reading and, therefore, no decrypting link is required, your method of encryption can be used on a cache page without anyone else’s approval.

 

Go ahead and include it on your cache pages if you want! I probably will, too. Just be sure to also provide instructions for decryption for the uninitiated.

 

Thanks for the suggestion!

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The problem is entirely one of degree.

 

We have an encrypting system. It does work. Thus the problem is one of making it simpler to decode on paper in the field. (GPX file users don't have this issue...)

 

In the scale of problems it's such a minor issue and with enough 'proposed simpler solutions with their own problems of implemention. to where it's probably not worth the effort to solve.

 

I agree it culd be simpler to deode in the field, but maybe not on how to do that and I'd rather see locationless caches come back first and the subjective nature of a virtual fixed first.

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I would agree with RK, there are far bigger issues to tackle. This one ain't broke, so why fix it?

 

Before I went paperless, I got pretty good at decrypting by sight. For longer clues, I used to carry a decoder tool that an Ohio geocacher leaves as a signature item. Made quick work of the long-winded hints.

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You can print it crypted and you'll have the problem to decrypt the text "in the wild" (thats annoying).

What's annoying about that? The decryption key is printed on every page. It's a simple process to decrypt (and as mentioned above, if you do it often enough, you start recognizing all the commonly used words). I don't think it's broken at all.

 

--Marky

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Since we are still in the stone ages, I decode and print the pages before we go caching. However, I fold the part of the page where the clue is then tape it closed. That way there is no chance to 'accidentally' read it. Takes about 10 seconds to fold and tape.  (And it's always funny to be near the cache, hunting, and turn and catch Brazin trying to un-tape the page and cheat...)

I used to do that, too (except for the tape). I recently changed my GPX reader so that when it displays or prints out a cache page with a decrypted hint, the hint is upside down. That way, an accidental glance doesn't spoil it, and I don't have to decrypt in the field.

Edited by Prime Suspect
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I print it out decrypted and read it most of the time. I'm not building a moon rocket, it's just geocaching. Besides, after a few field decryptions of "You don't need a hint", "No clues for you", or "Think like a geocacher" I’d prefer to avoid the aggravation.

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After some thought, I think the idea has some merit.

 

Folks have mentioned being able to read ROT13. After a while you tend to learn what word pattern means what. I think this scheme has merit because of the relative random nature of the intermediate letters would foil attempts to recognize patterns which is what most readers are actually doing. With ROT13 you are probably recognizing the rotated pattern of a word. (Remember the thread about reading words that are scrambled but have the first and last letter in the correct place? It probably works on a similar mechanism.)

 

A way to combat the above problem of spaces might be to simply intersperse random letters around and within the word and leave the space. Example, "near stump" would become "gnuekaorw hsutdudmipt" The random letters break up the word pattern and there is no true decryption involved.

 

Plus, it could be made an individual preference. The hint being encrypted on the fly, it would just depend on a switch.

 

But I do have to side with some others in the notion that is more important things that need to happen first here on gc.com. That's not to say the third party developers couldn't incorporate it seeings how the hint is not encrypted in the GPX file.

 

In all, a very interesting concept, indeed! Actually, I think it fairly brilliant in its simplicity.

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After some thought, I think the idea has some merit.

 

Folks have mentioned being able to read ROT13. After a while you tend to learn what word pattern means what.  I think this scheme has merit because of the relative random nature of the intermediate letters would foil attempts to recognize patterns which is what most readers are actually doing.

Most people who can read Rot13, like that they're able to do it. Why would they want a scheme that screws that up?

 

  (Remember the thread about reading words that are scrambled but have the first and last letter in the correct place?  It probably works on a similar mechanism.)

In case you didn't know, that was from a hoax email that was making the rounds. There never was any actual study done, and the phrases were carefully chosen to "prove" the concept.

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