Questions tagged [cipher]
A cipher is a simple method of modifying messages to make them unreadable, but still possible to recover. Common ciphers are Caesar, Vigenere, Atbash, and several types of substitution cipher. Other ciphers include polynomial ciphers such as Playfair, Foursquare, etc.
1,642
questions
2
votes
1answer
104 views
Find the hidden message in... this grid
(So I made this puzzle, and I wanted it to be fun rather than difficult! I hope it’s original enough)
Given a 5x5 grid as input, here’s an algorithm:
randomly select any 3x3 grid within the 5x5 grid
...
4
votes
0answers
190 views
My favorite holiday destination
My favorite holiday destination is hidden in this secret message. Can you find what it is?
Hint 1:
Hint 2:
2
votes
0answers
309 views
The Popup Annoyance
The story
Fred, a software designer, woke up, got dressed, took a shower, ate breakfast, then headed off for work. He sat down on his chair and booted up his computer, only to see that all the files ...
2
votes
0answers
211 views
Please, I don't know greek!
data
key
result
7, 2, 17, 82, 56
0
ΛΞλν
1, 3, 8, 127, 65, 8
19
εΤψΒΖ
5, 64, 13, 9, 4, 42
7
δδιΡΠ
13, 9, 8, 657, 31, 3, 7, 5
3
?
Hints
1
vote
1answer
167 views
Increment and shift the points, to the cipher!
I just thought of a cipher, here's how it goes:
Input
strkey
intkey
Output
Hello World!
abc
9
ƉƦƭƭưšƘưƳƭƥŢ
Crack this cipher
i'm happy
13
ŧʦƖ˕ƅ˄ƇˆƏˎńʃƘ˗ƌˋƍˌƗ˖ńʃƇˆƍˌƔ˓ƌˋƉˈƖ˕
POW!
!@@#$^&*()
2
...
5
votes
1answer
222 views
A very basic cipher
The following is a relatively basic cipher I have constructed. I still hope it's entertaining.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
A _ A A A
A A _
A A
A D
B
B _
A A
B H
The answer is ...
1
vote
2answers
279 views
3
votes
2answers
159 views
Can you solve this sortpher?
(Sort-cipher, heh heh.)
This is a follow-up to "Bees sting." = [1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 5, 6, 4]
If, indeed, "Bees sting." = [1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 5, 6, 4], then can you reverse-engineer ...
11
votes
2answers
502 views
Confectionery Crime Conundrum
Yesterday I received one of the strangest cases of my career as an I.S. PI (Insightful Sleuths Private Investigator). I was reclining in my chair, working on the latest crossword puzzle when I ...
6
votes
1answer
272 views
A special kind of thank you
I typed up a thank you message this morning, but I accidentally ran a cipher on it and can't remember how to unscramble it.
vh 5cq pajmn lujbbaxxv fjclqrwp cnaaxa dwoxum xw cqn cnunerbrxw. R
anvnvkna ...
51
votes
1answer
2k views
Decipher this message for instructions to decipher this message
NINTH UNDUE COMICAL BURGER CUTLETS SLITS TURTLE REGRESS SORTS PROPHET SQUATS PUPPY ANGINA DUDS SKUNK TIGHT ODD TERSE COLONEL DIVED SOON AREA DIARIST SKUNK DREAD HASH RENTER DOWDY MAMAS GURGLE PORPOISE ...
0
votes
0answers
197 views
Encrypted string to decipher
Here’s an encrypted string which I submit to you for deciphering. I do know the answer.
m"eqpI!#ttfytp"wJ"/vvq!vj"egbpd‛fo!gucwksrs"pmnufo!ujju"!wsq!"tuswhkg"...
2
votes
1answer
115 views
What does this "ordinal cipher" say?
I invented (I think) a kind of cipher! What does this message say?:
first fifthhsecondngfourth firstsecondthirdfourthfifth, fourthecoseventhd fifthsixthsecondseventheighthfourth ...
8
votes
1answer
320 views
Ernie and the Social Network
Ernie finally made it home over the weekend, so I dropped in to give him a bit of help tidying the house (the house sitters hadn't been the most dependable people). We were just finishing the ...
6
votes
1answer
232 views
What are these two athletes talking about?
Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon are currently the two drivers driving for Alpine Racing Team in the 2021 Formula 1 season.
Earlier today, Fernando and Esteban had this conversation in clearly coded ...
1
vote
1answer
190 views
0
votes
2answers
168 views
Boxentriq level 20 with dancing figures and a book cipher
The picture below is a puzzle from the Boxentriq game, which should help me find a particular book.
Decoding the pictured Dancing Men cipher gives me "LIBERAL II". Using this and the numbers ...
-3
votes
1answer
213 views
Everything needed to solve this cipher is on Puzzling Stack Exchange [closed]
5444 ---> lcxxfy
1906 ---> pstbqjilj
1582 ---> tcxvbpixrpejooat
1431 ---> dohhsfb
888 ---> uvqta
605 ---> noacomputers
618 ---> ylibz
425 ---> ...
1
vote
1answer
118 views
Can you pick up an extra shift?
I was going through some old documents the other day and found some instructions for a one way cipher:
Given a word w, iterate over its characters. For each character c, determine if its zero based ...
1
vote
0answers
134 views
Oh, the burning blade! Stabbing him in the heart!
It's early afternoon, and you're just arriving at the Puzzling Examination. As you walk in, the Duke personally greets you.
"It's you!", he exclaims. "I was hoping of giving it in ...
3
votes
0answers
346 views
A splash of Minecraft?
I was playing Minecraft the other day and came across a beautiful splash message. Subsequently, I was inspired to create a puzzle for it.
Svir, look out below!
Shorty's slang stays surprisingly stout....
0
votes
0answers
197 views
Find the hidden message in the following equation
Find the hidden message in the following equation. The answer is not in verbal format.
$$| -3xmy + xy_5 |^3 = 375g^3x^3$$
5
votes
1answer
256 views
Mapping days as a 4 digit number! [closed]
I have a puzzle that includes mapping days as a 4 digit number.
Sunday: 6137
Monday: 6240
Tuesday: 7358
Wednesday: 9497
Thursday: 85??
The first digit is just the number of characters and the second ...
0
votes
2answers
165 views
Odds of there being two solutions to a word puzzle [closed]
What are the odds of there being two solutions to, say, a cryptoquote? And is anyone aware of an example of such?
-2
votes
1answer
158 views
Open one curtain and you see another curtain
There are two sets of ciphers in this puzzle.
Open one curtain and you see another curtain.
10
votes
0answers
482 views
What is the battle?
You wake up in a strange room. No one is there, as far as you can tell. But there are three doors, a piece of paper and a numpad, which is a standard keyboard. (this is N. O. T. a 'what door should ...
4
votes
1answer
179 views
A Cryptic Book Cliche
There is a strange bookcase at the end of a chapel's corridor that is pitch black, save for a few lanterns lighting the way. As you approach the bookcase, you notice six conspicuous books with unique ...
9
votes
2answers
2k views
No Time to Die, Period
Inside MI6's server farm in the middle of the night, the operator's eyes skittered frantically over an intercepted message:
The development of our new APG code has been coming along nicely; I've ...
10
votes
1answer
337 views
A rather odd tree
I was exploring an ancient garden. It seems the original inhabitants had long since left. One of the trees particularly struck me. Besides the delicious-looking red fruit the branches were twisted ...
1
vote
1answer
271 views
An airport authority's important message
A middle-aged man sat in a sofa in an air-conditioned room of an airport, staring at the officer facing him; the latter had her left hand on a small laptop.
"I have a very important message for ...
4
votes
3answers
326 views
The Jade Rabbit's present
The Jade Rabbit hopped up to Chang'e with a plain white box. "I've got a present for you!"
"Another elixir of life?" the immortal moon goddess sighed. "I've lived through so ...
34
votes
3answers
1k views
The maze one should not enter
Once upon a time, somewhere in Italy, two archaeologists unearthed a buried passage.
As they explore the passage they reach the doorway which is clearly the entrance of a wide structure behind. They ...
1
vote
0answers
124 views
Encrypted code with colours and letters. Can you identify the code, I have the possible key [closed]
I have a code that I can not break. It has been looked at for such a long time and I have tried to solve what might be the content or message. I recently was made aware that the alleged key for the ...
1
vote
1answer
199 views
any tools/sites/algorithms to decipher garbled text based on improper hand position on a keyboard?
Not sure if this is the proper place to ask, but I sometimes come across garbled text (see example below). My suspicion is that the garbled text is due to a person temporarily placing their hands in ...
-6
votes
1answer
160 views
Which emoji is 🍔 burger's match?
Known matches:
Key
Matched
🤣
🤝
🙃
🙂
❤️
❣️
🐸
🐷
🐍
🐌
🤔
🤎
🚀
🙏
🍓
🍒
👆
👅
🐟
🐞
😥
😤
What is my match, if I am 🍔?
Hint, since I don't believe in torture
0
votes
0answers
192 views
The answer to this code is a famous celebrity
simple and fun--this is another code I made for friends
Hints (how few can you use?):
...
2
votes
1answer
153 views
A series of strange codes
I made this code series for my computer science friends—they had fun solving it, and one of them told me I should put it up on this site, so here goes. The end of the code is rather unexpected!
Each ...
-4
votes
1answer
124 views
Room Puzzle, containing chess and ciphers. Can someone help? [duplicate]
I Have to force checkmate black king in two moves only
its white turn.
And the keypad
Someone also asked this question here like a month ago, but the answer was wrong i tried alot of things but ...
3
votes
2answers
166 views
A new kind of cipher
While not a wholly original idea (I stole it from somewhere–just can't remember where), it should be resistant to classic cryptanalytical techniques. However, I have my doubts about its actual, real-...
4
votes
1answer
348 views
How was this cipher created, and how can I solve similar ones?
My friend sent me this cipher:
etsitsiduamuqmuessenon,tsesumissep"omaet"orpdouqmuiterpteangamecovtivamalcxete
She also said it roughly decodes to:
And I screamed for whatever its worth, '...
-1
votes
1answer
267 views
Chess-based escape room [closed]
You go into a room, and the door closes. Some sign says:
You must find a forced checkmate on the black king in two moves. The key for the Vigenere is ONLY your moves. In other words, if you played ...
3
votes
0answers
157 views
Message passed between friends in a library
Mary met her friend Jenny in the library. They gossiped about various things and then each chose a book and went to separate corners of the library and sat down to read. After half an hour Jenny went ...
3
votes
1answer
183 views
3 mysterious emails
I got this from a neighbor, but I don't know why.
The emails are separated into 2-3 parts.
Here are the emails:
Title: RO KED BYA LAOUT Y
Body:
JRU. ESMY YP JSMH PIY PM YJR NRSVJ? YJSY EPI;F GIM.
PJ, ...
7
votes
1answer
261 views
Cracking prices
I recently went to a furniture store where people spend my annual salary on a garish commodes and ostentatious vitrines.
I note a curious code at the bottom of each item’s description label. Some ...
0
votes
1answer
158 views
What is the next diagram, and what is the number?
I needed some help to a friend of mine, he was solving a puzzle. He sent me a remake of what he was solving, and its up to you to help my friend!
Note:
My friend says that he messed up at 32, there ...
1
vote
1answer
104 views
Cipher with uncommon letter distribution
I have a cipher that I'm trying to decode. It's quite lengthy, so I started trying do do a simple substitution. I checked the frequency and noticed that every letter in the alphabet was used - and ...
3
votes
0answers
227 views
Code found written in chalk: "JSMYCTLYCTJCBEXD19"
The code I found on the sidewalk in chalk at my local courthouse is
JSMYCTLYCTJCBEXD19
I have had trouble identifying the code type as well as the deciphered message. Any and all suggestions/help ...
2
votes
1answer
173 views
What prank is my friend implying?
On April Fools, my friend has given me a sentence and said it's a prank, but I didn't understand it.
I asked "What is this?", he mentioned "A joke.", so I was confused what he ...
0
votes
0answers
149 views
A hacker emailed someone then
A hacker sent a message in to someone that says...
DARKGREEN WHITE WHITE TURQUOISE
He sent another one which is...
Think you can keep up with me? Enemies inbound! "Stretch out your neck!"...
-12
votes
2answers
269 views
Ifz, ipx bsf zpv epjoh Wbooz? What does this code from my mother's highschool stuff say?
I found this code in my mother's box of highschool stuff when we were cleaning the basement and found this just wondering what it says
Ifz, ipx bsf zpv epjoh Wbooz?
J bn epjoh xfmm, zpv?
J bn epjoh ...
