Cipher Technology and the Enigma Machine

Paper Summary:

A study of Crytography, the science of mesage encryption. It discusses the history of cryptography and its development during World War II. It discusses the Enigma machine and carefully details its instructions for use. It also discusses cracking the Enigma and includes examples of this in history. This paper analyzes the Enigma and concludes that all codes will eventually be cracked by dedicated and bright Cryptanalysts no matter how complex the algorithm. Also, security is more than just having a brilliant machine. It was not the Enigma that failed in World War II, it was human error.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Background and Early Cipher Technology
The Enigma Machine
Receiving Instructions
Cracking the Enigma
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Cryptography can thought of as the science of message encryption. The battle between Cryptographers (code makers) and Cryptanalysts (code breakers) has been waged since 3000 BC as each tries to outwit the other. Cryptography is essential in performing secure transactions, governing countries and commanding armies. The threat of messages being decrypted has been the motivation for cryptographers to develop new, more complex algorithms in hopes of temporarily staying one step ahead of the Cryptanalysts. Likewise, the motivation for breaking codes can be the difference between winning a war and losing it. As a result, the coder breakers and their computers rose to prominence during their battle in World War II versus the Enigma cipher machine."

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