Enigma
Posted by:
SuperKraut
()
Date: May 16, 2001 08:44AM
<HTML>The key to Enigma was the wiring pattern in the rotors. There were 26 position pairs on the rotor which means around 4 x 10^26 possibilities, that is a 4 followed by 26 zeroes. Enigma machines contained 3 or 4 replaceable rotors. Apparently all the rotor wiring patterns were stolen, although it is theoretically possible to work them out by mathematical analysis if you know what the machine settings are. However, I believe this requires computing power which was not available until the 1960s or 70s. Rotor machines based on the enigma principle were used by the US well into the 1970s, which indicates how safe the principle was if properly applied.
Once you have the rotor wiring and know how the machine works, you can build another machine to empirically determine the daily machine settings. The main contribution of BP was setting up a system for cracking the daily machine settings, however, the original idea came from the Poles.
The German mistake was using only 8 rotors throughout the war. They could have made Enigma bulletproof against the computer technology of the times simply by changing the rotors periodically, say 10 new rotors every 3 or 6 months, and by a hierarchy of rotors according to the importance of the message. Why this was not done is an interesting question. The German cryptanalysts collectively would have realized that Enigma could be broken assuming the machine falls into enemy hands. However, they were never invited to a symposium on Enigma security. One reason why such a symposium was never held could well be due to the fact that the man responsible for German signals and Enigma security, Gen. Fellgibel, was a member of the Black Orchestra resistance group.
Regards,
SuperKraut</HTML>
Once you have the rotor wiring and know how the machine works, you can build another machine to empirically determine the daily machine settings. The main contribution of BP was setting up a system for cracking the daily machine settings, however, the original idea came from the Poles.
The German mistake was using only 8 rotors throughout the war. They could have made Enigma bulletproof against the computer technology of the times simply by changing the rotors periodically, say 10 new rotors every 3 or 6 months, and by a hierarchy of rotors according to the importance of the message. Why this was not done is an interesting question. The German cryptanalysts collectively would have realized that Enigma could be broken assuming the machine falls into enemy hands. However, they were never invited to a symposium on Enigma security. One reason why such a symposium was never held could well be due to the fact that the man responsible for German signals and Enigma security, Gen. Fellgibel, was a member of the Black Orchestra resistance group.
Regards,
SuperKraut</HTML>
| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
Bletchley Park or just lucky???
|
William Engel | 05/15/2001 12:46PM |
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RE: Bletchley Park or just lucky???
|
Marc Haldimann | 05/15/2001 01:47PM |
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RE: Bletchley Park or just lucky???
|
MPC | 05/15/2001 07:06PM |
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RE: Bletchley Park or just lucky???
|
William Engel | 05/16/2001 05:21AM |
|
Enigma
|
SuperKraut | 05/16/2001 08:44AM |
|
RE: Enigma
|
William Engel | 05/16/2001 09:27AM |
|
Alternative explanation
|
SuperKraut | 05/16/2001 03:06PM |
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Alternative explanation
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SuperKraut | 05/16/2001 03:07PM |
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RE: Alternative explanation
|
William Engel | 05/17/2001 05:46AM |
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Poor coordination
|
SuperKraut | 05/17/2001 08:07AM |
|
Enigma and faith
|
kurt | 05/17/2001 04:21PM |
|
Cipher penetrations
|
SuperKraut | 05/19/2001 07:28AM |
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Congratulations to you both...
|
MPC | 05/16/2001 03:49PM |
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RE: Bletchley Park or just lucky???
|
Rainer Bruns | 05/16/2001 06:25PM |
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RE: Bletchley Park or just lucky???
|
Kris | 05/16/2001 05:14PM |