FBI Issues Code Cracking Challenge

coondoggie writes to tell us that the FBI has issued another cracking challenge for a new cipher on their site. Tens of thousands responded to a similar challenge last year. In addition to the challenge, the FBI is also offering a few primers on the subject. There are a number of sites offering cipher challenges, but it's funny to see the FBI encouraging such behavior.

Fidelity, Bravery (n/t)

[Cryptosporidium]

Hm. Hidden message.

Result

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a pretty simple substitution cipher, and the obvious web address in the code makes it even simpler. A simple bit of guess work and you get the result:
"stupendous. we congratulate you on cracking this latest encryption. visit www.fbi.gov/coded.htm to let us know of your success"

The lookup table for the substitution is:
A : f; C : d; B : i; E : l; D : e; G : y; F : t; I : r; H : b; K : v; J : a; M : g; L : n; O : h; N : c; Q : k; S : o; T : p; W : u; V : s; Y : w; Z : m;

Re:Easy.

[laddiebuck]

As one UNIX lover to another...

tr '[abcdefghijklmnoqstvwyz]' '[fideltybravngchkopsuwm]'

Happy man reading!

Re:This will really piss of the Chinese

[drspliff]

RTFA... it's an extremely simple substitution cipher, if the FBI had to outsource this I'd be extremely worried about their technical competancy.

In the age of public/private key encryption, while there's a NSA hashing algorithm competition running with many well respected scientists competing, the FBI's "lab" comes out with this crap?

good grief

[denaje]

I hope they don't guard any sensitive data with encryption that easy

Re:ITSATRAP!

[ZeroExistenZ]

it's funny to see the FBI encouraging such behavior

It reminds me to the series of letters of George Mercies, about "Invisible Contracts [constitution.org]".

[For example, in the U.S.S.R., the KGB is known to have secretly "created" (sponsored is more like it) -- various protester groups for the sole purpose of throwing out some attractive philosophy designed to attract a certain type of individual, and then having "extracted" those individuals from society, and having thus identified them -- then shutting down the organization and arresting the members. This practice is a utilization of the principle known as the "Doctrine of False Opposition."]