Kryptos and a pattern -#kryptos #cia #turing #bletchleypark #scultpure #k4

#kryptos #cia #turing #bletchleypark #scultpure #k4

Hi,

I am a Kryptos fan with some math and it background. I have decided to share something that I think is quite interesting and something that I haven`t seen anywhere else.

It will be a bit long, so tldr: I hope that TURING will be the next clue.

A little bit of history of Kryptos and me.

I have started my journey with Krypots in 2014 – I just read somewhere about the CLOCK clue (I think it was something similar to “top 10 unsolved mysteries”). I decided to give it a try – just to learn something new and get back into programming.

First attempts were focused on simple ideas, exchanged with months of breaks. I remember trying:

  • Vigenere ciphers based on ABC alphabet and all words from dictionary
  • I think I also tried Vigenere based on all alphabets based on words from the dictionary and all words as an encryption key
  • simple additions based on two keys (decrypted_message + key1key1key1… + key2key2key2…)
  • I even tried to use genetic algorithms to try to find some interesting local strings of words

Then I stopped using such algorithms and started to think: “Were I Mr. Sanborn, how would I do it”. Assumptions were:

  • cipher that could be used on paper
  • cipher that an artist would understand
  • cipher that would use keys connected to Kryptos
  • cipher that would be composed of more than 1 step

After some trials Ive finally found an approach that using some of obvious keys together with K1-K3 would give clear passage from BC -) NYP... That was interesting since a couple of other patterns occured AFTER I found this approach. Nevertheless, it was too complicated. Ive analyzed it a bit more and (not seeing a simple way of extrapolating it on other positions of K4) stopped analysing this approach.

Then I have added additional assumptions:

  • it must not be easily solvable by computers
  • the algorithm for K4 needs to have a room for another message (K5)

This was the moment when I`ve rewritten everything to other computing language and used additoinal ML/AI for text processing.
That was interesting. That was the time where I found really interesting pattern – it was based strictly on BC-)NYP… clue and nothing more.

Again, AFTER that more things started to occur, there was YAR clearly visible, there was iQlusion, undergrUund, despAratly – all of them also very interesting.
I thought that I must be one step before the end, yet I could not reach it. This was the time I have found and analyzed old tables that Mr. Sanborn shared. These were Palimpsest, Abscissa and K3 tables. This was the time when IQlusion got my attention. I looked at these tables and my remark was that:

  • either Mr. Sanborn made a mistake with C – look how awful “S” in PALIMPSEST is written there, below the ILLUSION word. Even in the PALIMPSEST phrase at the top – it reminds the phrase: PALIMPCEST not PALIMPSEST. Maybe when Mr. Sanborn has already cut the letters in the sculpture it was too late to correct it – so he decided to use it somehow as a clue, or just did not see it
  • or other way – Mr. Sanborn planned it from the beginning

I remember from some records, that Mr. Sanborn once told something about these typos being “intentional” so I believed the second part.

Then more extraordinary patterns occured – really interesting. Seeing them and seeing other various possibilities of how to further use the pattern that occured in BC to NYP… many further ways of analysis occured, to many paths to follow for one person. This was the time when I decided to share all of it. But I decided to do it my way and I started to do so.

(Un-)fortunately the meeting with Mr Sanborn occured – the movie-making ground for new documentary. I have read the notes and remark about “Q” in an Illusion (meaning that it probably is just a mistake), the BC -) NYP… “in place” algorithm and other remarks. They all disappointed me a bit. After all of that I decided again to give it a try one more time and changed a bit the assumptions.

Before I continue I must say, that I think that if I were the sculpture creator and made any mistake – I would certainly clearly say what is a mistake and what is not.

Coming back to the sculpture.
After taking into consideration new assumptions more new doors opened. This was the time when I loosened the assumptions and took the most wide possibility to follow:
1) reverse the pattern that I found for all positions on K4
2) look for 2-word phrases (instead of just long words)

I think that it was very interesting. One of such “possible” phrases, is really interesting. I have written about it in “Python, Turing and Kryptos” post. It was really interesting since it produces ALAN TURING words – using the same approach as for BC. What is more interesting, the same approach produces more interesting phrases. E.g. LETCHLEY PARK in another place.

Why are these phrases interesting?
As for Turing – there is only one place where TURING word comes in K4 after reversing the application of the pattern (the same one as for BC), and ALAN word comes directly near the TURING word.

The LETCHLEY PARK was found a bit different way: I thought that it would be interesting to analyze the PARK word further. There is also only one place where it is possible after applying the “reversed pattern” approach. Then I decided to check if BLETCHLEY could be obtained before this word. Unfortunately not whole BLETCHLEY word can be obtained. Only LETCHLEY. Either it is a coincidence or something needs to be changed in the algorithm.
I think that it should be analyzed further.

There are also two other possibilities that occur after reversing the pattern that I want to share.
One is the name of the machine used for decryption process during WW2.
The second one was “(NAME OF THE CYPHER) CYPHER” phrase – also used during WW2, directly connected to the machine above.

Coming back to the previous year. I made a decision to share all my knowledge about Kryptos. Like I said – I wanted to do it my way.
Unfortunately, from other perspective, I think that it probably would be better to wait for the next clue (that will occur this year) and verify whether my approach is consistent with it or not.

Coming back to the “tldr” message.
I hope, that the next clue will be released in June and it will be the TURING word. I believe that the CLOCK clue was released, because of the time when the movie about Mr. Turing had its premiere.

I must say that I have enough of Kryptos – especially because of the mistakes. I really do not want to look at K4 anymore (but I admit that I sometimes do – e.g. that happened after the last interview with Mr. Sanborn).

To summarize: using the phrase at the beginning: “something that I haven`t seen anywhere else” from the beginnig of my post. What I meant was that I think that:

BLETCHLEY PARK
(name of algorithm) CYPHER
(name of the machine from WW2)
TURING ALAN

are used inside K4.
I have sorted them by the first letter, not by the occurance in the K4. I hope it is not a coincidence.

Best regards,
Greg

ps. look for Muko and Amartia – that was my plan of sharing my knowledge (in 2018)

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