D'Agapeyeff cipher
Encyclopedia
The D'Agapeyeff cipher is an as-yet unbroken cipher
that appears in the first edition of Codes and Ciphers, an elementary book on cryptography published by the Russian-born English cartographer Alexander D'Agapeyeff in 1939.
Offered as a "challenge cipher" at the end of the book, it was not included in later editions, and D'Agapeyeff is said to have admitted later to having forgotten how he had encrypted it.
It has been argued that the failure of all attempts at decryption is due to D'Agapeyeff incorrectly encrypting the original text.
The ciphertext is:
Cipher
In cryptography, a cipher is an algorithm for performing encryption or decryption — a series of well-defined steps that can be followed as a procedure. An alternative, less common term is encipherment. In non-technical usage, a “cipher” is the same thing as a “code”; however, the concepts...
that appears in the first edition of Codes and Ciphers, an elementary book on cryptography published by the Russian-born English cartographer Alexander D'Agapeyeff in 1939.
Offered as a "challenge cipher" at the end of the book, it was not included in later editions, and D'Agapeyeff is said to have admitted later to having forgotten how he had encrypted it.
It has been argued that the failure of all attempts at decryption is due to D'Agapeyeff incorrectly encrypting the original text.
The ciphertext is:
75628 28591 62916 48164 91748 58464 74748 28483 81638 18174
74826 26475 83828 49175 74658 37575 75936 36565 81638 17585
75756 46282 92857 46382 75748 38165 81848 56485 64858 56382
72628 36281 81728 16463 75828 16483 63828 58163 63630 47481
91918 46385 84656 48565 62946 26285 91859 17491 72756 46575
71658 36264 74818 28462 82649 18193 65626 48484 91838 57491
81657 27483 83858 28364 62726 26562 83759 27263 82827 27283
82858 47582 81837 28462 82837 58164 75748 58162 92000
External links
- Description of properties and potential decryption strategies for D'Agapeyeff cipher by Robert Matthews
- Another approach to decryption by Nick PellingNick PellingNick Pelling is a British-born computer programmer, best known for a series of 1980s computer games for the BBC Micro written under the nom-de-plume Orlando M. Pilchard. He was educated at Brentwood School, and has both a BSc in Maths and Philosophy and an MBA with Distinction...
- Discussion of possible causes of failure to solve D'Agapeyeff cipher, at the American Cryptogram AssociationAmerican Cryptogram AssociationThe American Cryptogram Association is an American non-profit organization devoted to the hobby of cryptography, with an emphasis on types of codes, ciphers, and cryptograms that can be solved either with pencil and paper, or with computers, but not computer-only systems.-History:The ACA was formed...
website - D'Agapeyeff Cipher Yahoo Group D'Agapeyeff Cipher Yahoo Group
- D'Agapeyeff Cipher and Other Mysteries by Tiago Rodrigues