CIPHER PUZZLE
CACHES DECODED - Polybius Square
Some cachers dread mystery/puzzle caches, especially if the puzzle is some sort of cipher.
With this new series, I would like to try to shed some light on ciphers found in
some puzzle caches out there using this cache series to show you how to identify
the different ciphers and how to solve them. I am calling this series "Cipher
Puzzle Caches Decoded". This is sort of a reboot of a series I did 14 years ago
that ended up with just a few caches in the series.
Before we jump
in, lets first go over some cipher terminology that will be helpful in solving
ciphers:
PLAINTEXT:
Is a message or text that
has not been encrypted.
CIPHERTEXT:
Is a message or test that
HAS been encrypted.
KEY or KEY TEXT:
Is a keyword, letter, or
phrase that is used to make ciphered text more difficult to solve.
CODE:
Is a kind of substitute language that is
used to hide or conceal the word in question. An example would be something like
"Pizza dinner tonight @ 5 PM" could be worded as the frisbee hits the table at 5
PM. Substituting the word "pizza" for frisbee changes the meaning of the
sentence for those who know what the code is.
BLOCK CIPHER:
A block cipher breaks a message into
a set number of pieces and encrypts one piece or block at a time.
MONOALPHABETIC CIPHER:
This is a cipher that uses a single
alphabet. Letters are usually just replaced with another letter in the same
alphabet like replacing the letter "A" with the letter "N". Caesar, Pigpen and
Playfair ciphers re all monoalphabetic ciphers.
INTRODUCTION TO
THE CIPHER:
The Polybius Square Cipher or Polybius
Checkerboard is a table-based or square cipher that allows someone to translate
letters into numbers (see the table below). The table can be randomized and
shared with the person who is to decipher the ciphertext. Key thing to remember
is that the table only holds 25 letters. To make all 26 letters of the alphabet
fit, letters
"I"
and
"J"
are combined into the same spot.
So how does this work? Simple,
lets take the letter "C"
for example. Look at the table above, you
would cross reference the column of numbers on the left with the row of numbers
on the top of the table. So the letter
"C" would become 13. Lets see
this ciphertex in action using the word GEOCACHE:
G E
O C A C H E
22 15 34 13 11 13 23 15
It could also look like
this (without spaces): 221534131112315
IDENTIFICATION:
The initial challenge with
all ciphers is trying to identify what type of cipher you are dealing with. You
can find clues in the cache name as well as in the text of the cache page.
With a Polybius Square Cipher, the ciphertext will be a series of numbers like
is noted above. These numbers could be one long string of numbers or possibly
broken up by the plaintext words. It can vary. The key thing to remember is that
each letter of the alphabet will ciphertexted to two-number combinations. So
keep that in mind if you see a puzzle with a long series of numbers.
VARIATIONS:
As with most ciphers, there
will be variations to any cipher. You just want to be aware of that. With
Polybius Square Cipher, the table could have the letters in reverse order where
the letter "A" is in the 55 position and the letter "Z" is in the 11 position.
Different alphabets can also be used such at the Greek alphabet. Another
variation of this cipher is when a key is used to reorder the alphabet within
the square with the letters being placed at the beginning and the remaining
letters of the alphabet following the key in alpha order. IF you think you have
come across a Polybius Cipher in a puzzle cache, its good to check and see if
there is a key being used which could be a repeating word of possibly a hidden
word in the text. The difficulty rating will be bumped up IF there is a key
being used.
THE SOLVE:
You can solve this cipher
as well as many others using several online decryption sites such as dCodes Tool List,
cryptii and to name a couple. There are websites
that can even help you identify what type of
cipher you are dealing with such as the Multi Encoder Decoder site or the Multisolver by dennistreysa.
THIS CIPHER:
Before we get to the main
event, I do want to state that
THIS CACHE IS NOT AT THE LISTED
COORDINATES! Dont go there
unless you plan to tube down the Cedar River. This cipher will not have any
trickery. There will not be any reverse text, double ciphers, curve balls or any
other tricks that will trip you up.
The ciphertext, once diciphered,
will give you the geochecker code you need to get the final coordinates. If your ready, lets give this cipher
a go!
13231513251542
52344214 2443 313422
You can validate your puzzle solution with
certitude.