classical crypto programmatic aids

[lists at notatla.org.uk]

Travis,

> Does anyone here know of any computer-based aids for breaking
> classical cryptosystems?  I'm thinking in particular of the ones in
> "Body of Secrets", which are so short that I really hope they're
> monoalphabetic substitutions.  But I'm interested in these sorts of
> programs more generally.  I could use paper, but it'd be nice if a
> computer could keep track of what I've tried and otherwise ruled out.
> I am aware of the "crypt breaker's workbench", but that's specific to
> classic Unix crypt(3).  What else is there?

In the 1990s Remo Pini ("Pini Computer Trading, Switzerland") was distributing
a crypto CD with such things on it.  At the time his address was rp at rpini.com
and google suggests some more recent addresses.
 
> Incidentally, if anyone's interested, on my web page I have an article
> on how I used classical techniques to recover files encrypted with CFS

I thought that was interesting and it's living in my magazine pile.


GCHQ issue a puzzle occasionally (looks like twice a year)
    http://www.gchq.gov.uk/codebreaking/index.html
and I tackled the December 2004 one
    http://www.gchq.gov.uk/codebreaking/challengedec04.html
like this
    http://www.notatla.org.uk/CRYPTO/gchq_puzzle/index.html
using a program of Paul Leyland's off the Pini CD.



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