Title: Help FBI crack the code
Post by: yatz on March 30, 2011, 08:54:26 AM

Some of you may have seen this already, but I thought I'd post it here anyway.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110329/ts_yblog_thelookout/fbi-asks-public-for-help-breaking-encrypted-notes-tied-to-1999-murder (http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110329/ts_yblog_thelookout/fbi-asks-public-for-help-breaking-encrypted-notes-tied-to-1999-murder)

Title: Re: Help FBI crack the code
Post by: jsm725 on March 30, 2011, 10:08:05 AM

A new RUaNinja Challenge? ;)

Title: Re: Help FBI crack the code
Post by: yatz on March 30, 2011, 11:25:29 AM

Yeah, except for this one you don't even get a book!

:P

Still, it would be fun to put 10 minutes into it.

Title: Re: Help FBI crack the code
Post by: WCNA on March 30, 2011, 04:08:21 PM

If the FBI can't crack it (at least that's their story) then it's likely a one time pad....uncrackable.

Title: Re: Help FBI crack the code
Post by: chrisj on March 30, 2011, 04:14:14 PM

Bruce Schneier's blog seems to have a good thread (http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2011/03/fbi_asks_for_cr.html) going on this topic too.

Title: Re: Help FBI crack the code
Post by: hayabusa on March 30, 2011, 06:00:18 PM

My thought... I doubt it's a 1-time. Unless this guy was some 'secret agent', they say he did this all the time. That being said, it should be something he could at least 'fairly' easily reverse, for himself. It may be complicated (more than a simple substitution) but I can't believe it would be TOO complicated...

Title: Re: Help FBI crack the code
Post by: yatz on March 31, 2011, 08:57:50 AM

Quote from: hayabusa on March 30, 2011, 06:00:18 PM

This is what I was thinking too, but...

Quote from: WCNA on March 30, 2011, 04:08:21 PM

If the FBI can't crack it (at least that's their story) then it's likely a one time pad....uncrackable.

Then again, this kind of thing has been done before. Experts spend years on a problem and then some 15-year old solves it out of nowhere. Didn't this happen with figuring out mayan mathematics? There are other examples of this too.

Looks like this is getting a lot of press.

Title: Re: Help FBI crack the code
Post by: hayabusa on April 01, 2011, 09:09:31 AM

I haven't really followed any of the outside links on this, with exception of reading the FBI's page, itself. Is it just me, or does it seem like at least ALMOST every 'apparent' word or phrase ends in an E? Coincidence... I doubt it.

Title: Re: Help FBI crack the code
Post by: chrisj on April 01, 2011, 09:47:33 AM

Quote from: hayabusa on April 01, 2011, 09:09:31 AM

Some of the external links noticed that too. Don't remember which ones though.

Title: Re: Help FBI crack the code
Post by: Pookie on April 01, 2011, 04:04:27 PM

The last word has no E on either page, likely the key

Title: Re: Help FBI crack the code
Post by: hayabusa on April 01, 2011, 04:10:26 PM

To me, the end of that second page almost looks like a date... Digging on Roman Numerals, and playing, almost looked like Mil (Milennium) and 630, so I wondered it it was some reference to some year 1630 prediction, or something. But then again, if he was less-than-well-educated, I figured, he probably had no clue of such.

Who knows... Might still play with it. Might not. :P

Title: Re: Help FBI crack the code
Post by: BillV on April 01, 2011, 04:18:09 PM

Sounds like 'John' down in the comments on the Yahoo page has it worked out pretty well.

Title: Re: Help FBI crack the code
Post by: WCNA on April 01, 2011, 06:19:45 PM

Most replied comment-

Quote

That's easy... it says: "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine".... nailed it!

Title: Re: Help FBI crack the code
Post by: hayabusa on April 01, 2011, 07:34:08 PM

Quote from: BillV on April 01, 2011, 04:18:09 PM

Sounds like 'John' down in the comments on the Yahoo page has it worked out pretty well.

LOL! No doubt ;D

EH-Net

Resources => News from the Outside World => Topic started by: yatz on March 30, 2011, 08:54:26 AM