Throughout history there has been a need to create a secret code in order for a small group of people to communicate with each other. A cipher is an advanced secret code that codes each individual letter instead of focusing on the words. These secret codes can be very simple rearrangement of letters or numbers into a code or something more elaborate. Many ciphers are impossible to break because the codes are based upon unknown mathematical formulas or substitute symbols for letters and numbers. Most famous cipher’s are used during periods of war with one side creating the cipher and the other side trying desperately to decode the messages but ciphers

Probably the most well known cipher of all time is the German Enigma of World War II. German military and diplomatic information was encoded using an typewriter style machine called “Enigma.” This device had three wheels which would type a different letter than the one you choose on the keyboard. To further complicate the encryption, after each character, the wheels would change so that a different letter would be produced for repeated characters. This made the classic style of decryption and code breaking impossible to complete on an Enigma created document.

To decrypt an Enigma code the receiver only needed to know which wheels to use and which position to start them in. Eventually, England was able to break the Enigma code but they kept the information highly confidential until thirty years after the war. In order to break the Enigma code, computers were used. It would have taken years for some to sit at the Enigma typewriter and try every wheel and every position but computers were able to run through ever different combination as quickly as possible in an attempt to decode the words.

During World War II, the Japanese military had their own cipher. While not as detailed in creation as the German Enigma code, the Japanese Navy cipher consisted of 33,000 words, phrases, and letters and was the primary code used for all military operations. Using a series of mathematical analysis, IBM punch-card computing machines, and a cipher machine, a team of American’s was able to crack most of this cipher before 1942. The Japanese cipher was much easier to break because many of the intercepted messages started with the same phrases and constantly repeated information that was easy to verify. The Japanese also failed to change their cipher key often enough to keep ahead of the code break efforts.

Not ever famous cipher was used during a war, for many people creating and decoding ciphers is a hobby. Recently a cipher called the Smithy Code was embedded into the legal judgement from Justice Peter Smith on The Da Vinci Code copyright case. As the book The Da Vinci Code was based upon the idea of a cipher being included in art and information around the main character the justice presiding over the case included a cipher in the court documents. The letters of the code were actual text of the written judgement, but were italicized to stand out from the rest of the text. After the letters were extracted from the text and several hints were followed, people were able to decipher this amusing challenge.

The Beale cipher is another fun cipher created to challenge people to crack the code. This cipher is a set of three texts which allegedly state the location of a buried treasure claimed to be worth over 30 million US dollars. It is claimed that the texts in the cipher were written in 1885 and detail a treasure being buried by a gentleman named Thomas Jefferson Beale in a secret location in Virginia. Beale left the box with the encrypted messages with a local innkeeper and then disappeared. After the innkeeper’s death, the paperwork was taken by a family friend who was able to decode the first text. People have spent the last 100 years attempting to crack the codes in the however until the second and third texts are decoded the treasure remains a mystery.

Today, we use ciphers for internet security and personal privacy. Encryption software created a cipher based upon the guidelines set up in the program. Many encryption programs allow you to create your own security code which is required by the receiver in order to view the data as unencrypted. Encryption can make our personal information safer from casual theft but nothing is completely safe if someone really wants or thinks they need the information. We must never believe that our codes cannot be broken, even codes created by computer programs and personal keys. History has shown time and time again that with the correct equipment and a meticulous though process, any code no matter how complete or crack proof we believe it to be can be broken.

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PGP sign your emails: PGP, or “Pretty Good Privacy” signed emails involve a cryptographically encrypted key function that ensures a given message was sent from the source it was sent from and was not altered at any point after being sent. It is important to secure e-mails in this manner since un-signed e-mails can be decrypted and used as template for false messages in the name of the digital sender. Moreover, private/public authentication keys prevent PGP signed from being read by unintended recipients.

OTR Instant Messaging: OTR, or “Off the Record” instant messaging is method by which a digital sender of an e-mail can maintain deniability should the e-mail be decrypted. OTR messages are un-signed and therefore can have been sent from any user without any need for authentication. In this way, OTR messages make a digital conversation as informal as a private conversation.

Encrypted VOIP: The main danger to unencrypted VoIP conversations is interception by just about anyone who has access to the particular network. The conversation can also be recorded and altered. Due to user demand, most VoIP networks include encryption features to protect from hackers. These features prevent both recording and alteration of VoIP conversations using recipient authentication keys.

TOR web browsing: TOR, or The Onion Router, web browsing allows users to anonymously access a network. Use of the network can protect a users’ access codes as well as digital identity from would-be hackers. While the TOR system is vulnerable to traffic analysis, by overlaying several Onion Routers, TOR web browsing provides considerably increased privacy. This form of web browsing was originally developed by the U.S. Navy.

Secure tunnels to safe havens: Data need to be stored in safe havens to guard against unexpected and crippling data loss. In addition, to get to these safe haven data storage facilities, the data need to take a secure tunnel route through the internet from the original storage location. In this way, the data is protected the entire way to the data backup storage location.

Dynamically encrypted hard disk: In order to protect the files and folders stored on individual hard disks from unauthorized use or duplication, the disk must undergo full disk encryption. This form of disk protection will prevent outside use of the contents of the disk, including swap space and temporary files and folders. In addition, since the entire disk is encrypted, the user does not have the option of which files to encrypt and the encryption protocols themselves are encrypted. If the protocols are destroyed, the hard disk contents are purged as well.

Staying updated: Package managers, such as Synaptic, manage multiple incoming packages and feature a package search utility. In addition, Synaptic and other package managers, use as their source multiple and mixed repositories such as ftp or http sites, as well as network and local file systems. With a bug patch, the package manager can keep a system updated against the latest bugs and glitches. Modern package management software is capable of system-wide comprehensive upgrades to correct system bugs all in one fell swoop or get up to date.

Protocol encryption for P2P: A huge portion of internet traffic is P2P, or peer to peer and the Internet Service Providers have only two options to deal with the enormous workload. They can increase their service capacity, the expensive option, or, they used specialized system so they can throttle individual users’ BitTorrent traffic, essentially slowing the user interface to a crawl and preventing the P2P connection. Protocol Encryption works to cloak the P2P traffic and reduce the risk of the Service Provider throttling the BitTorrent traffic.

Have a serious password: Hacker attacks of passwords are surprisingly fast-acting. For instance, a four digit password can be cracked almost instantly by even the simplest class of password attack. A good, serious password includes numbers, common symbols, and letter, both upper and lower case. This way, a hacker must go through the maximum number of permutations to crack the password. If all the aforementioned elements are involved in a password, it can take until the end of time for a even a very advanced and sophisticated password attack to succeed.

Use Linux: Linux is an open source code based operating system and is an alternative to Microsoft’s Windows. It differs from Windows in that the source code is open and therefore constantly updated and improved with the users interests in mind and without any central control or profit driven motivations. Linux Security Modules, or LSMs, allow Linux systems to use multiple security modules and implement a mandatory access control module. This results in hooks or up calls when any sensitive system is accessed controls access on a user level.

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