Room 40 was the cryptanalysis section of the British Admiralty during the first World War. It has humble beginnings, but … More
Tag: codebreakers
Codebreakers chapter 6: The Contribution of the Dilettantes
Two big events that moved cryptology forward in the 19th century. First, the telegraph. And second, the collapse of the … More
Codebreakers chapter 5: The Era of the Black Chambers
The 1700-1800s are an odd time for cryptography. On one had you have various governments setting up the oh so … More
Codebreakers chapter 4: On the Origin of a Species
The species in question is polyalphabetic substitution. Though it took some time for its use to take hold, it was … More
Codebreakers chapter 3: The Rise of the West
Why the 1300s? That’s generally around the time when the practice of a Country A sending people to Country B … More
Codebreakers chapter 2: The First 3,000 Years
The first 3,000 years of cryptography were dark, spotted with faint, but distinct flickers of light representing the few breakthroughs … More
Codebreakers chapter 1: One Day of Magic
The first chapter of this book is not like the others. Its purpose is to whet the user’s appetite for … More
The Codebreakers by David Khan
The size of this book is a warning against casual reading. To benefit from the staggering amount of information per … More
