[Noisebridge-discuss] Why do so many crackpots go for "crypto"?

Wed Jun 16 00:49:38 UTC 2010

It could be English and yet written from right to left.

On Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 3:41 PM,
<travis+ml-noisebridge at subspacefield.org> wrote:
> Sorry to post so many times but I thought this may be helpful to those
> trying to crack this nut.  Especially the use of tr, which I figured
> out only after writing a perl program to do it - doh!
>
> Here's the frequency graph I generated.
>
> A = 0.101587, **********************************************
> B = 0.014286, ******
> C = 0.009524, ****
> D = 0.017460, ********
> E = 0.055556, *************************
> F = 0.173016, ********************************************************************************
> G = 0.061905, ****************************
> H = 0.006349, **
> I = 0.053968, ************************
> J = 0.074603, **********************************
> K = 0.009524, ****
> L = 0.004762, **
> M = 0.014286, ******
> N = 0.025397, ***********
> O = 0.046032, *********************
> P = 0.017460, ********
> Q = 0.128571, ***********************************************************
> R = 0.003175, *
> S = 0.022222, **********
> T = 0.031746, **************
> U = 0.007937, ***
> V = 0.061905, ****************************
> W = 0.026984, ************
> X = 0.007937, ***
> Y = 0.009524, ****
> Z = 0.014286, ******
>
> If this is English, it seems very likely F maps to e.
>
> However, a straight frequency mapping is unhelpful, as I guessed,
> since it's not a big enough sample to work:
>
> $ tr FQAJGVEIOTWNSDPZMBCYKXUHLR etaoinshrdlcumwfgypbvkjxqz < 26_symbols.txt
> netwananetyamalkahnlaogdasoni
> etioriahcaoyeetipetetioi
> thzihdehetbacsovunftreta
> tgdesefwedetvsesnetimantah
> unsetpialtrlsacoyoetbacso
> ehacrwoeenalsciedoenetaniaera
> etbacsoetraetpheteqsvtearpsa
> mevnidoetrtjahoiusnmcaoeyo
> marusdnhltaoeihxtetunsoehe
> etilscoihjasetirxffahetyah
> etbcsoetragietsehefldretcgen
> neheltaajahdehetwtonoyoettjoen
> etioitahenetirkctahihlhefsoi
> etraueaieierrmsdlhksav
> gdasocaetiweckoltaemsesoe
> eteihaoetraoadunsoetuaoeibegt
> netnqeseretilhaonxfnfeetuneas
> etyarlehathopialuneasetunto
> netradeyhettomrwtgtetrmad
> tvurnftretaoyoettjoetigrndo
> etehnespndeh
> etinznlonetbacsoetraeheegrddoe
> rwaokadonwrsei
> etmauiwiuxtcehetiqsnla
> etswai
> dmiettoetswih
>
> And actually, FQYANEJ isn't the longest gram, FQYANEJFQ is, it appears
> twice:
>
> $ grep FQYANEJFQ 26_symbols.txt
> FQYANEJFQOAFQCIFQFLEKQFAOCEA
> FQGVRVWJVFQYANEJFQOAFIFFMOTTJF
>
> It has an interesting structure, too, because FQYANEJ appears several
> more times by itself, suggesting that FQ might be a suffix of some
> kind, as well as the beginning of the same word.  This is reinforced
> by the second line, which ends in FQFQGJG, suggesting the end and
> beginning of a word.  Let's try two-letter suffixes.
>
> $ grep -i '^es.....es$' /usr/share/dict/words
> escalates
> escapades
> escaroles
> estimates
> estranges
> estuaries
>
> None of those seem to work, tried them, and they're too weird for this
> text (except maybe estimates; he might have been saying something
> about our skill level being beyond it).
>
> Could it be -et?
>
> $ grep -i '^et.....et$' /usr/share/dict/words
> $
>
> Nope.  How about -en?
>
> $ grep -i '^en.....en$' /usr/share/dict/words
> enlighten
>
> Tempting, but enlight isn't a word.
>
> Based on this I'm guessing the "suffix" I saw is actually the
> beginning of another word.  Of course, the second letter (Q) is less
> sure than F=e.  It could easily be t, a, o, i, or the next few, as
> suggested by this frequency graph:
>
> [*] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:English_letter_frequency_%28frequency%29.svg
>
> Also, notice that FQEPAG is on a line by itself (second to last
> line)...  if it is one word, it is likely to be one of these:
>
> $ grep -i '^et....$' /usr/share/dict/words
> Etna's
> Eton's
> Etta's
> etched
> etcher
> etches
> ethics
> ethnic
>
> I also toyed with the idea that FQYANEJ = ethical.
>
> $ tr FQYANEJ ethical < 26_symbols.txt
> VetPiViVetBiDiWXiIVWilMTialVG
> etGlOGiIcilBeetGCetetGlG
> tIRGITeIethicalKSVZtOeti
> tMTeaeZPeTetKaeaVetGDiVtiI
> SVaetCGiWtOWaiclBlethical
> eIicOPleeViWacGeTleVetiVGieOi
> ethicaletOietCIeteLaKteiOCai
> DeKVGTletOtUiIlGSaVDcileBl
> DiOSaTVIWtileGIHtetSValeIe
> etGWaclGIUiaetGOHZZiIetBiI
> ethcaletOiMGetaeIeZWTOetcMeV
> VeIeWtiiUiITeIetPtlVlBlettUleV
> etGlGtiIeVetGOXctiIGIWIeZalG
> etOiSeiGeGeOODaTWIXaiK
> MTialcietGPecXlWtieDaeale
> eteGIiletOiliTSValetSileGheMt
> VetVLeaeOetGWIilVHZVZeetSVeia
> etBiOWeIitIlCGiWSVeiaetSVtl
> VetOiTeBIettlDOPtMtetODiT
> tKSOVZtOetilBlettUletGMOVTl
> eteIVeaCVTeI
> etGVRVWlVethicaletOieIeeMOTTle
> OPilXiTlVPOaeG
> etDiSGPGSHtceIetGLaVWi
> etaPiG
> TDGettletaPGI
>
> Hmm, that doesn't seem too promising... the last line might contain
> "settle", but in that case, the second line is nonsense:
>
> $ tr FQYANEJG ethicals < 26_symbols.txt | head -2 | tail -1
> etslOsiIcilBeetsCetetsls
>
> Also, it's VERY likely he mentions encrypt, and the first letters seem
> plausible, so let's try that:
>
> $ tr FQYANEJ encrypt < 26_symbols.txt
> VenPrVrVenBrDrWXrIVWrtMTrptVG
> enGtOGrIyrtBeenGCenenGtG
> nIRGITeIencryptKSVZnOenr
> nMTepeZPeTenKpepVenGDrVnrI
> SVpenCGrWnOWprytBtencrypt
> eIryOPteeVrWpyGeTteVenrVGreOr
> encryptenOrenCIeneLpKnerOCpr
> DeKVGTtenOnUrItGSpVDyrteBt
> DrOSpTVIWnrteGIHnenSVpteIe
> enGWpytGIUrpenGOHZZrIenBrI
> encyptenOrMGenpeIeZWTOenyMeV
> ^^^^^^^^
> VeIeWnrrUrITeIenPntVtBtennUteV
> enGtGnrIeVenGOXynrIGIWIeZptG
> enOrSerGeGeOODpTWIXprK
> MTrptyrenGPeyXtWnreDpepte
> eneGIrtenOrtrTSVptenSrteGceMn
> VenVLepeOenGWIrtVHZVZeenSVerp
> enBrOWeIrnItCGrWSVerpenSVnt
> VenOrTeBIenntDOPnMnenODrT
> nKSOVZnOenrtBtennUtenGMOVTt
> eneIVepCVTeI
> enGVRVWtVencryptenOreIeeMOTTte
> OPrtXrTtVPOpeG
> enDrSGPGSHnyeIenGLpVWr
> enpPrG
> TDGenntenpPGI
>   ^^^^^^^
>
> Well, either this has some errors in the original, or that can't be
> the case.
>
> Oh, incidentally, while FQYANEJ appears several times, and FQYANEJFQ
> twice, there's also an appearance of FQYNEJFQ at the beginning of a
> line.  I've double-checked the source and it's not a transcription
> error.  I don't think that pattern is likely to be a coincidence.
>
> Perhaps the missing symbol, A, is a single-letter word (a/I) that is
> left out once.
>
> Another interesting thing, is that twelve lines begin with FQ!
>
> $ grep ^FQ 26_symbols.txt
> FQGJOGAINAJBFFQGCFQFQGJG
> FQYANEJFQOAFQCIFQFLEKQFAOCEA
> FQGWENJGIUAEFQGOHZZAIFQBAI
> FQYNEJFQOAMGFQEFIFZWTOFQNMFV
> FQGJGQAIFVFQGOXNQAIGIWIFZEJG
> FQOASFAGFGFOODETWIXEAK
> FQFGIAJFQOAJATSVEJFQSAJFGYFMQ
> FQBAOWFIAQIJCGAWSVFAEFQSVQJ
> FQFIVFECVTFI
> FQGVRVWJVFQYANEJFQOAFIFFMOTTJF
> FQDASGPGSHQNFIFQGLEVWA
> FQEPAG
>
> If we assume that words aren't broken across lines, then FQ has to be
> a VERY common way to begin a word, or is a word unto itself.
>
> Possible explanations:
>
> 1) it's a very common two-letter word in English...
>   in, an, so, if, is, it, possibly others.
>
> 2) it's Arabic, and translates to "al" (the, maybe of...)
>
> 3) it's some extremely common prefix in English, but what?
>   in?  un?  Nothing seems that common.
>
> Frankly, I'm not sure this is English!  After all, what are the
> chances a random text of this length (650ish characters) would use Q
> and Z?  But maybe he did that just to exercise the alphabet.
>
> Frankly, given the preponderance of "FQ" at the beginning of the line,
> and the diversity of things that follow it, I'm beginning to think it
> might be Arabic.
>
> Okay, that's enough for me for now, I'm taking a break. ;-)
>
> HTH,
> Travis
> --
> A Weapon of Mass Construction
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