Code and Code Breaking

[Micha]

I have the key.
No symbol-code is a prefix for another symbol, so after 000 the decoder knows it is an "e", because no other symbol starts with three "0"s.
Like I said, if someone was so kind to write the program, I´d deliver the key.

ATM there is only "hive" added as a SSW (single-symbol-word). I thought about others as well, like "Comrade" or "glorious" or "Communisms".
More ideas appreciated.

[Vev]

Sounds like fun with parsing. It would be like writing a state machine.

[Static Universe]

Can you PM me the key so I can take a look at it?

[Vev]

The new code is annoying. We need to pool in all our ideas for this one. The previous we were lucky, cause they posted a plain text translation making it easy to identify the text format (although where to start reading was a problem). Maybe we can annoy them with enough gibberish that they would try to decipher our text, hence giving us a plain text translation

Anyway what I have found is that a search for the binary for search came several times but the number of chars between the matches are not multiple of 8's. So simple plaintext searches isn't working. My theory is that they are still using ascii but I have no idea in what format, nor what modifications they have done.

[Snowflake]

I'm at a friend's house and just wanted to check in. It's through phone line so cant stay long.

Vev I agree that the new code is not in 8 digit (not in 9 or 10 either apparently, I checked it in case they have the check digit). I still think it may be a trap. But if it is some kind of a real code I fully trust that you¡¯ll find a clue since you seem to be the one with the most knowledge with this subject. (It is your revelation of their code being ascii code that prompted me ¡°feverishly¡± putting your idea to work. )

I just browsed through other posts and I¡¯m so happy that we have so many excellent ideas about our own code. The Hive is never short of talented people! Let¡¯s put the ideas to work Comrades!

[Vev]

Here is the new encoding files

Credit goes to John, who is in the same office as I am and have very little to do with AC.

Pravda new encoding

They are NOT secure. It uses 7bit alphabet, (actually it removes the most significant bit), and is easy to break, (once you know what it does).

Use this code the spread "The Truth".

It is already compiled and run in under command prompt. It takes in 'read.txt' and outputs 'read2.txt'
to decode, it takes in 'read2.txt' and outputs 'read3.txt'.

Source code to compile on other platforms

/*
* for some reason %b isn't supported
*/

#include
#include

int main()
{
FILE *inFile;
FILE *outFile;
char ch;

inFile=fopen("read.txt", "r");
if (inFile==NULL)
{
printf ("error opening file.\n");
exit(0);
}

outFile=fopen("read2.txt", "w");
if (outFile==NULL)
{
printf ("error opening file.\n");
exit(0);
}

fprintf(outFile,"Starting Encrypted Transmission.\n");
while ( (ch=fgetc(inFile)) != EOF)
{
fprintf(outFile,"%i",((ch >> 6)&1));
fprintf(outFile,"%i",((ch >> 5)&1));
fprintf(outFile,"%i",((ch >> 4)&1));
fprintf(outFile,"%i",((ch >> 3)&1));
fprintf(outFile,"%i",((ch >> 2)&1));
fprintf(outFile,"%i",((ch >> 1)&1));
fprintf(outFile,"%i",((ch)&1));
}

fprintf(outFile,"\nTransmission Complete.\n");

return (0);
}





/*
* for some reason %b isn't supported
*/

#include
#include

int main()
{
FILE *inFile;
FILE *outFile;
char ch;
char chout;
int counter;

inFile=fopen("read2.txt", "r");
if (inFile==NULL)
{
printf ("error opening file.\n");
exit(0);
}

outFile=fopen("read3.txt", "w");
if (outFile==NULL)
{
printf ("error opening file.\n");
exit(0);
}

while ( (ch=fgetc(inFile)) != '\n') {}

counter=7;
chout=0;

fprintf(outFile,"Decrypting Transmission.\n");
while ( (ch=fgetc(inFile)) != EOF)
{
counter--;
if (ch == '1')
chout += (1 << counter);

if (counter == 0)
{
fprintf(outFile,"%c",chout);
counter=7;
chout=0;
}
}

fprintf(outFile,"\nTransmission Decrypted.\n");

return (0);
}

[Vev]

Please start using this new code to spread 'the truth'. What ever you do, don't mention we are stumped on their new code (because we are).

Feel free to spread false rumors

[Micha]

Got ignored again...

[Vev]

Your code is used for the secure version, cause it is really hard to crack by hand. Variable bit length is nasty to guess. Your code would be our response to other faction who decides to beef up their code.

[Micha]

Hm, the idea of being one step ahead pleases me...
So we can easily change our coding system from one day to another and the other factions will be desperate...

So what exactly are we going to announce in the public forums using ciphered language? And since we have different security levels what will be shown in the more-easy-to-crack code?

[Vev]

Pravda Propaganda!

I dunno, fictional hive activities? Perhaps the PAC organising a day to visit XenoFungusLand and the high speed Mindworm Coaster along with Sealurk Slippery Slides and IoD sunbathing platforms.


Include smilies as a single code

[Vev]

Sorry for the double posting.

John is really into this. He has come up with a program to check the output under various bit length and header offset and is cycling through to find a pattern. Currently 6 bit lenght is looking good but are not sure and need to do frequency analysis to find the occurence of spaces. Their header offset isn't helping. If 6 bit is used then they have 64 characters to use.

Baiting the CyCon into responding may produce interesting result.

[Snowflake]

Wow! Sounds very promising! One thought to "beef up" the "crakable version". After we get the code can we simply add a 0 say every 13 digit? This hopefully could mess up a lot of analysis. And if this is coded in the program, we don't have to worry about it.

[Snowflake]

Also, if this code machine could be put online, then the decoding part could be made a little tricky. For example, you have to put in a few numbers or letters in front of the codes, eg. "HIVE", then the codes, and the machine will give you the correct decoded message. Otherwise the machine randomly picks up a sentence from the database.

Who has the time and ability to put it online? I believe that is a important step toward the accessbility of this function.

[Vev]

Let's hope all these nasty suggestions the CyCon have not added in their current code.

[Vev]

Just need to watch out for decompilers

[Snowflake]

Originally posted by Vev
Let's hope all these nasty suggestions the CyCon have not added in their current code.

Let's hope they are simply not as bright as us.
Judging from the coded message activity or the lack of it I don't think they have a "code machine" like what we are planned here, or at least not yet. If they do have one, I can see it will generate coded messages like crazy given how they love to do that. If the last simple coded message is true, then they have to "learn" the code, so not automatically done by a machine. If it is false, well, that must mean the "new code" simply doesn't exist.

[Snowflake]

Originally posted by Vev
Just need to watch out for decompilers

Can they somehow gets the source file if it is in an asp page?

[Vev]

Here is the program to do the variable offset and bit length analysis. What is really needed is a frequency analysis.

/*
* for some reason %b isn't supported
*/

#include
#include

#define columns 4

int defcount=8;
int defoffset=3;

int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
char keypress;
while (keypress != 'q')
{
printf("BitLength: %i, BitOffset: %1\n",defcount,defoffset);
printf("q = quit, w=+length, s=-length, a=-offset,d=+offset\n");
keypress = getchar();

if (keypress == 'w')
defcount++;
if (keypress == 's' && defcount > 4)
defcount--;
if (keypress == 'a' && defoffset > 0)
defoffset--;
if (keypress == 'd' && defoffset < defcount - 1)
defoffset++;

main2(argc,argv);
}
return(0);
}

int main2(int argc, char **argv)
{
FILE *inFile;
FILE *outFile;
char ch;
unsigned int chout;
int counter;
int bits;
int ii;
int columnssplit;
// unsigned char outputch;

inFile=fopen(argv[1], "r");
if (inFile==NULL)
{
printf ("error opening file.\n");
exit(0);
}

while ( (ch=fgetc(inFile)) != '\n') {}

printf("\n\n\nFile %s, offset %i, charlength %i\n",argv[1],defoffset,defcount);
printf("Header: ");
for(ii=0;ii {
ch=fgetc(inFile);
printf("%c",ch);
}

printf("\n");

counter=defcount;
chout=0;
columnssplit=0;
bits=0;

while ( (ch=fgetc(inFile)) != EOF)
{
counter--;
if (ch == '1')
{
chout += (1 << counter);
bits++;
}

if (ch == '0')
bits++;

printf("%c",ch);

if (counter == 0)
{
//outputch=chout;
printf(" ");
if (chout <= 0xF)
printf("0");
if (chout <= 0xFF)
printf("0");
printf("%x\t ",chout);
counter=defcount;
chout=0;
columnssplit++;
if (columnssplit == columns)
{
printf("\n");
columnssplit=0;
}
}
}

if (counter != defcount)
{
printf("Total bits %i\n",bits);
}

return (0);
}

[Vev]

Fair Play Charter Proposal

Creating codes and breaking codes is fun, but with the computer power and complex encryption availabe on the web today, the usage of it can seriously damage the enjoy one has in this activity.

There is no need for a very hard to crack code are there are many methods available to send messages securely, for exampled: team private forums, private messages and encrypted emails. Posting of such difficult to crack messages means it is unreadable by others and some may constitute as spam.

What I am proposing is that all coded transmission on the public forum be reasonably crackable by hand given a few days. The exact definition of reasonably crackable can be discussed further below. Maybe a clue is given into the general type of encoding used.

[Voltaire]

Posted. Sorry I sort of ran off there, went to get something to snack on, then sort of completely forgot about everything else.

[Vev]

John thinks it is 9 bit, as after cycling through possible header offsets, he encounter promising patterns. Anyway we still need more information.

[Jamski]

I was talking to Drogue last night, he says its like a rotor system i.e. the bits are encrypted so its a double code Also he says the code changes EVERY time, but that the key to which encrytion (i.e. rotor settings) is being used, is in each message. Nice of him, eh? He could be lying, of course.

-Jam

[Vev]

Can you get a reasonable verification that our guess of 9 bit letters isn't too far off the mark?

[Jamski]

I'll ask him tonight, may have to trade some info, or perhaps he'll just feel sorry for us because of the "pod incident"

-Jam

[Micha]

lol
Yeah, that was a great loss to our people...

[Jamski]

Heheheh - I love getting sympathy when there's nothing wrong

-Jam

[Vander]

Here is an idea:
Let's leak some innocent, yet truthful information to the publc forums much like the British in WWII. Once we get them convinced that we are being daring and swapping important info in public, start to "bend" the truth to our favor.
For example: Code says we attack northern coastal city. Infact, we attack southern coastal city or fly inland.

[Snowflake]

Wow I didn't know we've got new comrades! Here's an idear for the next one who wants to join us. Should we ask him/her to do a "highly politically sensitive operation" in the cycon join cycon first and get the code for us then quit before he is accepted in the Hive? What is the rule about defection again? Of course this could cause major international incident. Just want to throw out some ideas before any shaking takes place ...

[Frankychan]

Unfortunately defections are not allowed. There is a thread in the general forum with the tallied votes. But there are some precautions in place to protect the Hive from defectors.