M-209
M-209
The M-209 was a cipher machine invented by Boris Hagelin or AB Cryptoteknik at the beginning of WWII. As a pin-and-lug cipher machine, it did not require electricity. During the war, German cryptanalysts called the machine "AM-1" for "American Machine #1".
In 1942, cryptanalysts from the US and UK had a debate over this machine. The British were concerned that the Italians would be able to read American Hagelin traffic, as they had been able to read Italian Hagelin traffic. However, the US chose to ignore this- citing that breaking the M-209 would be too difficult and time-consuming for the Axis powers. As it turned out, the Germans were able to read ~10% of American Hagelin traffic. This was 6% due to cryptanalysis and 4% due to captured keys. However, this decryption usually took 7-10 days- often rendering the message old and not useful.
Boris Hagelin
https://www.cryptomuseum.com/crypto/hagelin/m209/index.htm
Cryptomuseum
1940
Cryptomuseum
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Cryptomachine
M-94
M-94
The M-94 was a cipher device based off the polyalphabetic manual substitution cipher. It was created by US Army major Joseph Mauborgne in 1917 with inspiration from a similar device invented by Thomas Jefferson in 1795. In 1921, it was introduced to the Army.
This device consisted of 25 circular discs- each with a different mixed alphabet of 26 letters. Although the security of the pocket device wasn't impressive, companies like Doehler, Reeve, and Alcoa had produced 9,432 of these tools by 1943 for use in the US Army.
The growing obsolete nature of this cipher device would inspire the need for the M-209.
Joseph O. Mauborgne
https://www.campx.ca/crypto.html
Cryptographic Artifacts
1917-1943
Richard Brisson
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Cipher device
SIGABA
SIGABA
SIGABA was an electro-mechanical cipher machine created in the late 1930s by the US Army and Navy. It was considered an impressive cryptomachine in that time period to the degree that it was used throughout WWII and into the 1950s.
By the end of WWII, over 10,000 machines had been deployed. They were used notably by the US Navy in submarines and battleships. Although the number of machines was less than half the quantity of the Enigma machines used by the Germans, they still kept high-level communications secured. In fact, SIGABA has never been broken.
US Army and Navy
https://www.cryptomuseum.com/crypto/usa/sigaba/index.htm
Cryptomuseum
1930s-1950s
Cryptomuseum
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Cryptomachine
NESTOR
NESTOR
NESTOR is the NSA-developed speech encryption used by American forces during the Vietnamese War. The encryption was compatible between several devices, including the KY-38 manpack unit, KY-8 vehicular unit, and KY-28 aircraft unit.
NSA
https://www.cryptomuseum.com/crypto/usa/ky38/index.htm
Cryptomuseum
1964
Cryptomuseum
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English
Speech encryption device
G-Schreiber "STURGEON"
T-52 Geheimschreiber
The T-52 G-Schreiber was developed around 1930 by Siemens & Halske. It was used by the Germans in WWII in conjunction with the Enigma and Lorenz. Intercepting messages that were in-depth enough to decipher was difficult for Allied codebreakers because it was used via land lines and only occasionally over radio. However, it was possible and Swedish and British codebreakers were able to decipher pieces of traffic ciphered by the machine Bletchly Park(UK) dubbed "STURGEON".
Siemens & Halske
https://cryptomuseum.com/crypto/siemens/t52/index.htm
Cryptomuseum
1930
Cryptomuseum
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English
Cipher machine
TypeX
TypeX
The TypeX was an electromechanical cipher machine used by the British during WWII. It was devloped by Wing Commander O.G.W. Lywood, with the first production batch delivered to the RAF in 1937. As a British variant of the Enigma, versions of it came out to be more compatible for use in decrypting messages encrypted by the German's Enigma.
O.G.W. Lywood
https://cryptomuseum.com/crypto/uk/typex/index.htm
Cryptomuseum
1934
Cryptomuseum
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English
Cipher machine
Scytale
Scytale
The scytale is known as the first cryptographic device, used in 400 B.C. by the Spartans. It consisted of a baton and a papyrus strips with letters. These papyrus strips would only reveal the message sent between Spartan generals if the baton they were wrapped around had the same dimensions as the one that the message was written on.
Sparta
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scytale
Wikipedia
400 B.C.
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Greek
Cipher tool
Lorenz "TUNNY"
Lorenz SZ-40/42 "TUNNY"
The Lorenz cipher machine was developed by Lorenz and used in WWII by the German Army High Command. Hilter used it to communicate with his generals. This cipher machine was dubbed "TUNNY" by British codebreakers at Bletchly Park. In August 1941, Bill Tutte led them to intercept two in-depth messages and key stream. By January of 1942, they had figured out how TUNNY worked and built a replica.
Lorenz
https://www.cryptomuseum.com/crypto/lorenz/sz40/index.htm
Cryptomuseum
1941
Cryptomuseum
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English
Cipher machine
Fialka
Fialka
Fialka was known as a more complex version of the Enigma, created by Russian military for communicating within the Soviet Union and Warsaw pact in the 1960s- early 1970s. Compared to the Enigma's three rotors, Fialka had ten rotors- giving way to approximately 8.6e50 configurations. When a Fialka machine was captured in 1967, the NSA built a computer to decrypt messages.
Russia
https://derekbruff.org/blogs/fywscrypto/historical-crypto/fialka-the-bigger-better-russian-enigma/
Derekbruff
1960s-early 1970s
Matthew Gu
https://crypto.omeka.net/items/show/5
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Russian
Cipher machine
PURPLE
Japanese Purple cipher
PURPLE was a Japanese cipher machine used during WWII and based off the Enigma's rotor technology. While it was developed in 1937 with four rotors (compared to the Enigma's three), it was broken only a few years later in 1940 without being seen by the successful cryptanalysts. William Friedman and the U.S. Signal Intelligence Service did this by building a working replica of the highest Japanese security code.
Japan
https://ciphermachines.com/purple
Ciphermachines
1937
Ciphermachines
https://crypto.omeka.net/items/show/5
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English
Cypher Machine