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Frequency Analysis
Frequency Analysis is a method of code breaking that works to decipher all substitution ciphers. This methods relies on the fact that some letters of the alphabet are used more than other letters of the alphabet. For example, 'E' is more commonly…
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G-Schreiber "STURGEON"
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…
Tags: G-Schreiber, STURGEON, WWII
Giddings Field Message Book
The Giddings Field Message Book was used in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. Designed by Major Howard A. Giddings of the Brigadier Signal Officer Office of the Connecticut National Guard, it composed of a pocket pad with a built in US Army…
Hill Cipher
The Hill Cipher was developed in 1929 by Lester Hill. A digraph substitution cipher, it works using groups of letters to encrypt. However, it is different from other digraph substitution ciphers because it can work on different group sizes of…
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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…
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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.
Tags: NESTOR, Vietnam War
Pigpen Cipher
The Pigpen Cipher is a form of substitution cipher that uses symbols, rather than other letters. Although its origin is unknown, this cipher was most famously used by the Freemasons in the 18th century- to the point that some know it as the…
Tags: Civil War, Freemasons, Pigpen Cipher
Playfair Cipher
The Playfair Cipher was created in 1854 by Charles Wheatstone, and named after Lord Playfair for promoting its use. Initially, it was rejected by the British Foreign Office for appearing complicated. Later, the military began to use it for being…
Tags: Playfair Cipher