Solving Section IThe first section was solved using Vigenere with the keywords PALIMPSEST and KRYPTOS.
Encrypted Text Decrypted Text
Solving Section IIThe second section was solved using Vigenere with the keywords ABSCISSA and KRYPTOS.
Encrypted Text Decrypted Text
Solving Section IIIThe following is 100% stolen from this site. SLOWLYDESPARATLYSLOWLYTHEREMAINSOFPASSAGEDEBRISTHATENCUM BEREDTHELOWERPARTOFTHEDOORWAYWASREMOVEDWITHTREMBLINGHAND SIMADEATINYBREACHINTHEUPPERLEFTHANDCORNERANDTHENWIDENING THEHOLEALITTLEIINSERTEDTHECANDLEANDPEEREDINTHEHOTAIRESCA PINGFROMTHECHAMBERCAUSEDTHEFLAMETOFLICKERBUTPRESENTLYDET AILSOFTHEROOMWITHINEMERGEDFROMTHEMISTXCANYOUSEEANYTHINGQ? -> ?QGNIHTYNAEESUOYNACXTSIMEHTMORFDEGREMENIHTIWMOOREHTFOSLIATEDYLTNESERPTUBREKCILFOTEMALF EHTDESUACREBMAHCEHTMORFGNIPACSERIATOHEHTNIDEREEPDNAELDNACEHTDETRESNIIELTTILAELOHEHTGNI NEDIWNEHTDNARENROCDNAHTFELREPPUEHTNIHCAERBYNITAEDAMISDNAHGNILBMERTHTIWDEVOMERSAWYAWROO DEHTFOTRAPREWOLEHTDEREBMUCNETAHTSIRBEDEGASSAPFOSNIAMEREHTYLWOLSYLTARAPSEDYLWOLS What makes me think it was written backwards? Because the extra space is not at the end of the message but
before the first letter. Who would bother calculating the position of the first letter and start writing
the message beginning with the 7th column just to make it fill up the rectangle perfectly at the end? ?QGNIHT YNAEESU OYNACXT SIMEHTM ORFDEGR EMENIHT IWMOORE HTFOSLI ATEDYLT NESERPT UBREKCI LFOTEMA LF EHTDESU ACREBMA HCEHTMO RFGNIPA CSERIAT OHEHTNI DEREEPD NAELDNA CEHTDET RESNIIE LTTILAE LOHEHTG NI NEDIWNE HTDNARE NROCDNA HTFELRE PPUEHTN IHCAERB YNITAED AMISDNA HGNILBM ERTHTIW DEVOMER SAWYAWR OO DEHTFOT RAPREWO LEHTDER EBMUCNE TAHTSIR BEDEGAS SAPFOSN IAMEREH TYLWOLS YLTARAP SEDYLWO LS Whichever way the text was written initially, after we restack it into 7 columns, it will result in: ?QGNIHT EHTDESU NEDIWNE DEHTFOT YNAEESU ACREBMA HTDNARE RAPREWO OYNACXT HCEHTMO NROCDNA LEHTDER SIMEHTM RFGNIPA HTFELRE EBMUCNE ORFDEGR CSERIAT PPUEHTN TAHTSIR EMENIHT OHEHTNI IHCAERB BEDEGAS IWMOORE DEREEPD YNITAED SAPFOSN HTFOSLI NAELDNA AMISDNA IAMEREH ATEDYLT CEHTDET HGNILBM TYLWOLS NESERPT RESNIIE ERTHTIW YLTARAP UBREKCI LTTILAE DEVOMER SEDYLWO LFOTEMA LOHEHTG SAWYAWR LS LF NI OO Now write the key on top and proceed with... KRYPTOS KOPRSTY 0362514 -> 0123456 ?QGNIHT ?HNQTIG EHTDESU ESDHUET NEDIWNE NNIEEWD DEHTFOT DOTETFH YNAEESU YSENUEA ACREBMA AMECABR HTDNARE HRNTEAD RAPREWO RWRAOEP OYNACXT OXAYTCN HCEHTMO HMHCOTE NROCDNA NNCRADO LEHTDER LETERDH SIMEHTM STEIMHM RFGNIPA RPNFAIG HTFELRE HRETELF EBMUCNE ENUBECM ORFDEGR OGDRREF CSERIAT CARSTIE PPUEHTN PTEPNHU TAHTSIR TITARSH EMENIHT EHNMTIE OHEHTNI ONHHITE IHCAERB IRAHBEC BEDEGAS BAEESGD IWMOORE IROWEOM DEREEPD DPEEDER YNITAED YETNDAI SAPFOSN SSFANOP HTFOSLI HLOTISF NAELDNA NNLAADE AMISDNA ANSMADI IAMEREH IEEAHRM ATEDYLT ALDTTYE CEHTDET CETETDH HGNILBM HBIGMLN TYLWOLS TLWYSOL NESERPT NPEETRS RESNIIE RINEEIS ERTHTIW EIHRWTT YLTARAP YAALPRT UBREKCI UCEBIKR LTTILAE LAITELT DEVOMER DEOERMV SEDYLWO SWYEOLD LFOTEMA LMTFAEO LOHEHTG LTEOGHH SAWYAWR SWYARAW LS L S LF L F NI N I OO O O Now to the last... ?ENDYAHROHNLSRHEOCPTEOIBIDYSHNAIACHTNREYULDSLLSLLNO HSNOSMRWXMNETPRNGATIHNRARPESLNNELEBLPIIACAEWMTW NDITEENRAHCTENEUDRETNHAEOETFOLSEDTIWENHAEIOYTEY QHEENCTAYCREIFTBRSPAMHHEWENATAMATEGYEERLBTEEFOASFIO TUETUAEOTOARMAEERTNRTIBSEDDNIAAHTTMSTEWPIEROAGR IEWFEBAECTDDHILCEIHSITEGOEAOSDDRYDLORITRKLMLEHA GTDHARDPNEOHMGFMFEUHEECDMRIPFEIMEHNLSSTTRTVDOHW Reminds you of anything? ;) 0 ?ENDYAHROHNLSRHEOCPTEOIBIDYSHNAIACHTNREYULDSLLSLLNO 1 HSNOSMRWXMNETPRNGATIHNRARPESLNNELEBLPIIACAEWMTW 2 NDITEENRAHCTENEUDRETNHAEOETFOLSEDTIWENHAEIOYTEY 3 QHEENCTAYCREIFTBRSPAMHHEWENATAMATEGYEERLBTEEFOASFIO 4 TUETUAEOTOARMAEERTNRTIBSEDDNIAAHTTMSTEWPIEROAGR 5 IEWFEBAECTDDHILCEIHSITEGOEAOSDDRYDLORITRKLMLEHA 6 GTDHARDPNEOHMGFMFEUHEECDMRIPFEIMEHNLSSTTRTVDOHW Step 2, Write it in columns... (i omitted it to make Step 3 clearer, hence the following text is on its side) 0 ?ENDYAHROHNLSRHEOCPTEOIBIDYSHNAIACHTNREYULDSLLSLLNO 3 QHEENCTAYCREIFTBRSPAMHHEWENATAMATEGYEERLBTEEFOASFIO 6 GTDHARDPNEOHMGFMFEUHEECDMRIPFEIMEHNLSSTTRTVDOHW 2 NDITEENRAHCTENEUDRETNHAEOETFOLSEDTIWENHAEIOYTEY 5 IEWFEBAECTDDHILCEIHSITEGOEAOSDDRYDLORITRKLMLEHA 1 HSNOSMRWXMNETPRNGATIHNRARPESLNNELEBLPIIACAEWMTW 4 TUETUAEOTOARMAEERTNRTIBSEDDNIAAHTTMSTEWPIEROAGR Step 4, Chop them into 86-letter long lines 0 ?END YAHR OHNL SRHE OCPT EOIB IDYS HNAI ACHT NREY ULDS LLSL LNO 3 QHEE NCTA YCRE IFTB RSPA MHHE WENA TAMA TEGY EERL BTEE FOAS FIO 6 GTDH ARDP NEOH MGFM FEUH EECD MRIP FEIM EHNL SSTT RTVD OHW 2 NDIT EENR AHCT ENEU DRET NHAE OETF OLSE DTIW ENHA EIOY TEY 5 IEWF EBAE CTDD HILC EIHS ITEG OEAO SDDR YDLO RITR KLML EHA 1 HSNO SMRW XMNE TPRN GATI HNRA RPES LNNE LEBL PIIA CAEW MTW 4 TUET UAEO TOAR MAEE RTNR TIBS EDDN IAAH TTMS TEWP IERO AGR Step 5, Read the resulting 4 lines of the message backwards (reverse of the Step 1 of encryption). Done. ?OBKRUOXOGHULBSOLIFBBWFLRVQQPRNGKSSOTWTQSJQSSEKZZWATJKLUDIAWINFBNYPVTTMZFPKWGDKZXTJCDIGKUHUAUEKCAR -> ?OBKRUOXOGHULB SOLIFBBWFLRVQQ PRNGKSSOTWTQSJ QSSEKZZWATJKLU DIAWINFBNYPVTT MZFPKWGDKZXTJC DIGKUHUAUEKCAR Step 2: ?SPQDMD OORSIZI BLNSAFG KIGEWPK RFKKIKU UBSZNWH OBSZFGU XWOWBDA OFTANKU GLWTYZE HRTJPXK UVQKVTC LQSLTJA BQJUTCR Step 3: KOPRSTY KRYPTOS 0123456 -> 0362514 ?SPQDMD ?QDPMSD OORSIZI OSIRZOI BLNSAFG BSGNFLA KIGEWPK KEKGPIW RFKKIKU RKUKKFI UBSZNWH UZHSWBN OBSZFGU OZUSGBF XWOWBDA XWAODWB OFTANKU OAUTKFN GLWTYZE GTEWZLY HRTJPXK HJKTXRP UVQKVTC UKCQTVV LQSLTJA LLASJQT BQJUTCR BURJCQT Step 4: ?QDPMSD BSGNFLA RKUKKFI OZUSGBF OAUTKFN HJKTXRP LLASJQT OSIRZOI KEKGPIW UZHSWBN XWAODWB GTEWZLY UKCQTVV BURJCQT For 21 columns: ?QDPMSD UZHSWBN HJKTXRP OSIRZOI OZUSGBF UKCQTVV BSGNFLA XWAODWB LLASJQT KEKGPIW OAUTKFN BURJCQT RKUKKFI GTEWZLY Step 5: TQCJRUBVVTQCKUYLZWETGBWDOAWXNBWSHZUWIPGKEKIOZRISOTQJSALLPRXTKJHNFKTUAOFBGSUZOIFKKUKRALFNGSBDSMPDQ? For 21: YLZWETGIFKKUKRTQCJRUBNFKTUAOWIPGKEKTQJSALLBWDOAWXALFNGSBVVTQCKUFBGSUZOIOZRISOPRXTKJHNBWSHZUDSMPDQ? Step 6: Breaking the cipher (most probably the same double-key Vigenere) and reading the message.
The final decrypted message SLOWLYDESPARATLYSLOWLYTHEREMAINSOFPASSAGEDEBRIST HATENCUMBEREDTHELOWERPARTOFTHEDOORWAYWASREMOVEDW ITHTREMBLINGHANDSIMADEATINYBREACHINTHEUPPERLEFTH ANDCORNERANDTHENWIDENINGTHEHOLEALITTLEIINSERTEDT HECANDLEANDPEEREDINTHEHOTAIRESCAPINGFROMTHECHAMB ERCAUSEDTHEFLAMETOFLICKERBUTPRESENTLYDETAILSOFTH EROOMWITHINEMERGEDFROMTHEMISTXCANYOUSEEANYTHINGQ Add in a sprinkling of punctuation, and it comes out to be Slowly, desparatly slowly, the remains of passage debris that encumbered the lower
Solving Section IVSolve it and you win $1 million. Not really, but wouldn't that be neat? |