First Criptogram Challenge

Muraru Teodor • Alexe Ciprian

 Challenge: Solve a challenge for
extra points at the seminar

About Teacher: Ph.d. Emil Simion

Date: April 20th, 2019

Challenge Statement
The purpose is to decode an image containing some pictograms in a relative
random order
The challenge is this image:
Solving the puzzle
• Step 1 •
Transform each pictogram into an
alphabet letter, in each place where it
appears in the picture.

We’re using the English alphabet, with all

its 26 letters:

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Solving the puzzle The result is:
• Step 1 •

ABCD CD EFG BHGIJDA KFCL

DE MHGN CA CD OEPQJGR EM
SEFGDJR TCAB UEGJ ABHP
ATCSJ HD UHPV TEGID
HD EFG OHDA SGVWAEQGHWBCS
SBHOOJPQJN CA HODE
MJHAFGJD H PJT DJA EM
WCSAEQGHU DVUXEOD XHDJI
EP PHACYJ HUJGCSHP
DVUXEOD HPI UEACMD MEG
JHSB SBHGHSAJG EM
ABJ HOWBHXJAN ABHPZD
MEG WHGACSCWHACPQR HPI
ZFIED EP SGHSZCPQ ABJ
SEIJN
Solving the puzzle Cleanup the text, by removing the
• Step 2 • empty spaces

ABCD CD EFG BHGIJDA KFCL DE MHGN CA CD OEPQJGR

EM SEFGDJR TCAB UEGJ ABHP ATCSJ HD UHPV TEGID HD
EFG OHDA SGVWAEQGHWBCS SBHOOJPQJN CA HODE
MJHAFGJD H PJT DJA EM WCSAEQGHU DVUXEOD XHDJI
EP PHACYJ HUJGCSHP DVUXEOD HPI UEACMD MEG JHSB
SBHGHSAJG EM ABJ HOWBHXJAN ABHPZD MEG
WHGACSCWHACPQR HPI ZFIED EP SGHSZCPQ ABJ SEIJN

ABCDCDEFGBHGIJDAKFCLDEMHGNCACDOEPQJGREMSEF
GDJRTCABUEGJABHPATCSJHDUHPVTEGIDHDEFGOHDAS
GVWAEQGHWBCSSBHOOJPQJNCAHODEMJHAFGJDHPJT
DJAEMWCSAEQGHUDVUXEODXHDJIEPPHACYJHUJGCSH
PDVUXEODHPIUEACMDMEGJHSBSBHGHSAJGEMABJHO
WBHXJANABHPZDMEGWHGACSCWHACPQRHPIZFIEDEPS
GHSZCPQABJSEIJN
Solving the puzzle
• Step 3 •

Use CryptoCrack to
detect the most likely
cypher for our code.

The best probability

was assigned to the
Patristocrat cypher,
which is a substitution
cypher of the Aristocrat
variety.
Solving the puzzle
• Step 4 •

Use CryptoCrack to brute-force the key

After quite an impressive number of tested

keys (650.001.000), the tool found the best
match and provided us a decryption key:
HXSIJMQBCRZOUPEWKGDAFNTLVY
Solving the puzzle
• Step 4 •

Alternative: web-based decryption tools

Solving the puzzle
• Step 4 •

Using CrypTool with the 2 keys, the

solution was almost identical, the
web-based (quicker) decryption key
generating a few more errors, but the
text was still relatively easy to
understand.
 Making sense of the decrypted text

thisisourhardestquixsofarvitislongerjofcoursejwith
morethantwiceasmanywordsasourlastcryptographi
cchallengevitalsofeaturesanewsetofpictogramsym
bolsbasedonnatizeamericansymbolsandmotifsfore
Solving the puzzle achcharacterofthealphabetvthanksforparticipatingj
andkudosoncrackingthecodev
• Step 5 •

We noticed that in the text provided by the cracking tool:

● the character “v” was substituted by “.”
● the character “j” was substituted by “,”
● the character “x” was substituted by “z”
● the rest of the letters made sense in when adding
spaces in appropriate places
Solving the puzzle The solution:
• Step 6 •

THIS IS OUR HARDEST QUIZ

SO FAR. IT IS LONGER, OF
COURSE, WITH MORE THAN
TWICE AS MANY WORDS
AS OUR LAST CRYPTOGRAPHIC
CHALLENGE. IT ALSO
FEATURES A NEW SET OF
PICTOGRAM SYMBOLS BASED
ON NATIVE AMERICAN
SYMBOLS AND MOTIFS
FOR EACH CHARACTER OF
THE ALPHABET. THANKS
FOR PARTICIPATING, AND
KUDOS ON CRACKING THE
CODE.
THANK YOU!
Resources:
● https://bionsgadgets.appspot.com/ww_forms/aristo_pat_web_worker3.html
● https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=decrypting+vigenere+cipher+w
ithout+key+
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaWp_Kq0cKs&list=PLaLlvDj9F9x0mXHB8
C7ga9gOIeaWIRf-w&index=27
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t58h3mPi6aM
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlL_6ZidF6A
● https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cryptography/Substitution_cipher
● ...