This cache is NOT at the posted coordinates,
solve the puzzle below to find the corrected coordinates.
See Cryptogram University Series 101 CUS 101: Cryptogram Basics for more information on cryptography and this cache series.
CUS 106: Simple Transposition Ciphers will teach you about another type of cipher that are used in puzzle caches – Transposition Ciphers. As you may remember from CUS 101, a transposition cipher scrambles the order of letters in a message, but doesn’t change the letters themselves.
Simple Columnar Transposition Cipher
In a Columnar Transposition Cipher, plaintext messages are written in rows in a grid, then encrypted by reordering the characters using columns instead of rows, or vice versa. The encrypted ciphertext is written without spaces. See example encryption of the phrase “Geocaching is awesome” using a simple columnar transposition cipher (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Simple Columnar Transposition Cipher
The example above is written in rows of five characters, but columnar transposition ciphers can be any number of rows and columns. If you don't have enough letters to complete the grid, it is common to add an X for the remaining spaces.
Columnar Transposition Cipher with Keyword
An extra layer of security is added to the encryption when using a designated keyword. In a Columnar Transposition Cipher with a Keyword, plaintext messages are written in rows in a grid below the keyword with the number of columns equal to the number of letters in the keyword. The message is then encrypted by reordering the characters down columns using letters from the keyword in alphabetical order. The encrypted ciphertext is written without spaces. See example encryption of the phrase “Geocaching is awesome” using a columnar transposition cipher with a keyword (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Columnar Transposition Cipher with Keyword
In the example above, the keyword MICRO is used and written above the plaintext. Starting with the column headed by "C" from the keyword, since it comes first alphabetically, our ciphertext begins "OIAM" from this column. Next, we move to the column headed by "I," then “M,” and so on through the letters of the keyword in alphabetical order until all columns have been encrypted. Of course, if you’re trying to solve a geocaching puzzle, you likely will not know the keyword.
Route Transposition Cipher
In a Route Transposition Cipher, plaintext messages are also written in rows and columns in a grid, then encrypted by reordering the characters using a predesignated pattern that differs from how the original plaintext was written. The encrypted ciphertext is written without spaces. See example encryption of the phrase “Geocaching is awesome” using a route transposition cipher (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Route Transposition Cipher
The example above is written in rows of five characters again, but route transposition ciphers can be any number of rows and columns. The example above also begins with the top left character, but route transposition ciphers can also start at any character in the grid and take any route through the grid.
The CUS 106 Exam:
Solve the transposition cipher below to find the final coordinates.
| FTREIVEXEEPIFOITPSIOHGITYNHIIXNNRTTEIFTTTINFYHOGHURSIE |