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Codebreaker Facts & Worksheets

Codebreaker, also called a cryptanalyst, are people who decode messages without the key.

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Codebreaker, also called a cryptanalyst, are people who decode messages without the key.

See the fact file below for more information on the Codebreaker or alternatively, you can download our 28-page Codebreaker worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

CRYPTOGRAPHY, THE WONDER OF CODEBREAKERS

  • Cryptography is a method of storing and transmitting data in a particular form, so that only those for whom the information is intended can read and process it.
  • The term is derived from the Greek word kryptos, which means hidden and the suffix “-graphy” stands for “writing.”
  • Early forms of cryptography are found in stone inscriptions, cuneiform tablets, and papyruses by the ancient Egyptians, Hebrews, Babylonians, and Assyrians. Without intimate knowledge, their language would not have been understood by outsiders.
  • In as early as 400 BCE, the Spartans employed a cipher device called the scytale – a tapered baton, with a spirally wrapped strip of parchment or leather on which the message was written – for secret communication between military commanders.
  • Fast forward to around 100 BCE, Julius Caesar developed a form of encryption to convey secret messages to his army generals posted in the war front. Known as Caesar cipher, it is a monoalphabetic substitution with a simple cyclic displacement of the alphabet.
  • During the 16th century, Blaise de Vigenère designed the first cipher that used an encryption key.
  • At the start of the 19th century, Edward Hebern designed an electro-mechanical contraption called the Hebern rotor machine. It encoded a substitution table and each key press resulted in the output of cipher text.
  • Cryptology found its greatest purpose during World Wars I & II. German engineer Arthur Scherbius invented the Enigma machine, a secret communicating machine heavily used by the German forces.
  • The rotors rotate at different rates on the keyboard to output appropriate letters of cipher text.
  • Before long, Poland decoded the cipher and the information was transferred to the British forces.
  • In modern times, cryptography found its use in many other areas. In the computer-centric world, cryptography is associated with scrambling plaintext (ordinary text or cleartext) into ciphertext (encryption process), then back again (decryption).

IMPORTANCE OF CRYPTOGRAPHY

  • Nowadays modern cryptography developed four objectives:
    • Confidentiality: the information can only be understood the one for whom it was intended
    • Integrity: the information cannot be altered between sender and receiver without the alteration being detected
    • Non-repudiation: the creator/sender of the information cannot deny at a later stage his or her intentions in the transmission of the information
    • Authentication: the sender and receiver can confirm each other’s identity and the origin/destination of the information.1

JOB OF THE CODEBREAKERS: CRYPTANALYSIS

  • Cryptanalysis is the study of ciphertext, ciphers, and cryptosystems with the aim of understanding how they work and finding and improving techniques for defeating or weakening them.2
  • Codebreakers/cryptanalysts are important in the field of cryptography. A message can never be relayed unless someone decodes the ciphers. Their job is just as important as the encoders.
  • The center of codebreaking for the Allies during WW2 was at Bletchley Park in England. Their most famous code breaker was Alan Turing.
  • He was the one who decoded German forces’ Enigma, thus bringing essential information and victory to the allies.
  • Another world famous codebreaker was Elizebeth Smith Friedman. She has been called “America’s first female cryptanalyst.”
  • Her contribution during the second World War involved decoding 4,000 German messages sent on 48 different radio circuits.

THE UNBREAKABLES

  • Yes! There are some notable ciphers that are still unbreakable. But of course, our great codebreakers are still up to the task of decoding them.
  • In 1897, composer Edward Elgar sent an enciphered letter to his friend Miss Dora “Dorabella” Penny. Problem is, he managed to disguise his message so well, she couldn’t even read it.
  • In 1939, Alexander D’Agapeyeff wrote a book on cryptography which included an undeciphered pre-computerized encryption. And guess what? He couldn’t even solve it!
  • The Mature Harappan Civilization of the Indus also left the Indus script that many historians are still trying to decipher.
  • Over 65 years ago, the body of an unidentified Australian man a.k.a. “Somerton Man” washed up on the shore of Adelaide beach. Hidden in his belongings was a small rolled piece of paper that read “Taman Shud.” Under ultraviolet light, the paper showed an unreadable five-line code.
  • Author J.F. Byrne added a special feature by inserting his cryptosystem challenge into the book “Silent Years,” offering $5,000 to whoever solved it.
  • O-U-O-S-V-A-V-V – are the letters carved into a stone monument below the image of Nicholas Poussin’s painting, The Shepherds of Arcadia, on the grounds of Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire, England. Nobody knows what it meant.
  • These codes may still take time to be decoded. However, there are those decoded cyphers we can also use for problem solving games and fun. Get ready!

Codebreaker Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Codebreaker across 28 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Codebreaker worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Codebreaker, also called a cryptanalyst, who are people who decode messages without the key.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Codebreaker Facts
  • Warm Up!
  • Three Letters Apart
  • The Caesar Cipher
  • The Rail Fence Cipher
  • The Pig Pen Cipher
  • The Morse Code
  • The Affine Cipher
  • The Polybius Square
  • Polybius Challenge
  • Dedication

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Link will appear as Codebreaker Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 5, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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