Cryptanalysis 1: The Null Cipher Mystery Cache
Cryptanalysis 1: The Null Cipher
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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First in a series of puzzle caches for everyone, including people
who hate puzzles! This will be a study in Cryptanalysis, the
solution & reading of cryptic messages. But the focus will be
on education. For a period of one week, the cyphertext only will be
presented for the “die-hards” to have a go at deciphering. After a
week, the method for solution will be added to the description
along with an example. This way, everyone may eventually log it
and, hopefully, learn something.
7/11/05: End of week one. There were no finders in the first
week. Here's the method for solution....
Cryptanalysis 1: The Null Cipher
Null ciphers are a type of open code or concealment cipher, meaning
it is concealed in an apparently innocent message. With the null
cipher, as the name suggests, most of the letters are "null," or
not part of the hidden message. Instead, the null letters act as
indicators for finding the significant letters by their position in
the text. The hidden message may be spelled out by looking at, for
example, the second letter of each word, or the third word of every
sentence.
For decryptment of a null cipher, it's useful to arrange the words
(or sentences) in columns. Take, for example, a memo sent between
union organizers: "Inspect details for Smith. Acknowledge the bonds
from Bowman." Now, arrange the words in columns:
INSPECT
DETAILS
FOR
SMITH
ACKNOWLEDGE
THE
BONDS
FROM
BOWMAN
|
Reading down the columns, the secret message is found in the third
letter of each word: "Strike Now." Where the alignment from the
left gives no results, letters may also be aligned from the right
or from the center.
On to the puzzle....
Assume, now, that you find an article in your local newspaper
about a popular, but controversial geocacher who goes by,
“1GeoWulf.” He’s placed 30 geocaches which are quite popular. It is
rumored that he leaves a valuable “first-to-find” item in each
cache; however, nobody has ever seen it. Another mysterious
geocacher always seems to be the first finder, seemingly as soon as
(or sometimes before) the cache listing is posted. You begin
questioning some local geocachers, but the mystery remains. You are
then anonymously sent another copy of this same article with an
excerpt curiously circled in red along with a note. The note says
that certain italicized words in the article spell out a familiar
location (the coordinates above). Further, some awkward grammar
stands out in the circled excerpt, and suggests more enciphered
information. You begin to suspect that 1GeoWulf is conspiring with
someone that he knows at the newspaper to reveal the location of
his new caches before they are posted. You may further assume that
an accurate decipherment may supply instructions to carry out while
at the above coordinates. Click on the
article below if you wish to view full size. 
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ng lbhe srrg. Benatr pbagnvare.
Treasures
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