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Encryption information:
About this master key:
This cypher was created in the year 1000 A.D. by an unknown alchemist who lived in a remote part of northern England. It was used to encrypt numerous "secret" scientific documents, journals, maps, notes, and diagrams. It uses a basic "keyword" system and is simple to decypher once the "key" is discovered.
How the master key works:
The "master key" has two columns which read from top to bottom. The "letters" in the left column correspond to the "cyphers" in the right column. Therefore, the letter "A" is represented by the cypher:
and the word "cypher" is represented by the symbols:
The master key itself is not difficult to break. However documents are never encrypted using the master key. The master key is only used to create new "keys." These "keys" are then used for encryption.
How to create a new key using the master key:
1. Choose a "key" word. In this example, we will use the word "code."
2. Starting with the master key, remove the symbols from the "cyphers" column that match the letters in your "key" word. If your key word was "code" you would remove:
C: 
E: 
from the "cyphers" column. This will leave blanks in the "cyphers" column that correspond to the letters in your key word.
3. Shift the remaining cypher symbols (in order) upwards in the list, until all "letters" have a corresponding "cypher."
In our example:
moves up to become "c",
moves up to become "d",
moves up to become "e",
and so on.
4. When Step 3 is completed, you will still have "blanks" at bottom of the "cyphers" column. These are the "cypher" symbols you removed in Step 2. Using these symbols, fill-in the remaining "blanks".
For our example: the symbols would be placed next to the letters WXYZ. All letters should now have a corresponding "cypher."
5. When Steps 1-4 are completed, you will have a new cypher "key." This new key can be used to encrypt, decrypt, or even to create new keys (although this is not recommended). Name the "key" after your "key" word. Our example would be named "CodeKey."
By using this method, unlimited new "keys" can be created, and the same cypher need never be used twice.
"Drop-outs" are used for enhanced security:
Certain words and vowels occur frequently in the English language and can aid someone who is trying to "break" a code. Vowels such as "a" or "e" occur more frequently than other letters; and words such as "the" or "and" are also very common.
An experienced code-breaker will look for frequently recurring symbols or groups, and use these to break an encryption system. By "dropping-out" these common words or vowels, it can make this method of code-breaking more difficult.
This system is used at the author's discretion, and only where the meaning would not be lost. A sentence such as "a man went to the south" could be rendered "man went south" or "mn wnt sth." The message is first written in this type of shorthand, then encrypted using the chosen cypher key.
THIS PAGE LAST MODIFIED ON: 12 Sep 99