Could everyone take a look at Zac’s work with Kryptos and give him some feedback?
I’m trying to get it to embed properly so there might be some changes to this post over time. The Excel file doesn’t want to fit so that you can see it all. What he’s trying to show is conveniently on the left of the table and can actually be seen this way.
Here’s the excel file, his original copy was much neater:
STEP ONE: THE MATRIX – Rearrange the existing matrix of K1-K3 cipher text to equal rows of 30 and do the same for the plain text matrix.
| CIPHER TEXT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |
| 1 | E | M | U | F | P | H | Z | L | R | F | A | X | Y | U | S | D | J | K | Z | L | D | K | R | N | S | H | G | N | F | I |
| 2 | V | J | Y | Q | T | Q | U | X | Q | B | Q | V | Y | U | V | L | L | T | R | E | V | J | Y | Q | T | M | K | Y | R | D |
| 3 | M | F | D | V | F | P | J | U | D | E | E | H | Z | W | E | T | Z | Y | V | G | W | H | K | K | Q | E | T | G | F | Q |
| 4 | J | N | C | E | G | G | W | H | K | K | ? | D | Q | M | C | P | F | Q | Z | D | Q | M | M | I | A | G | P | F | X | H |
| 5 | Q | R | L | G | T | I | M | V | M | Z | J | A | N | Q | L | V | K | Q | E | D | A | G | D | V | F | R | P | J | U | N |
| 6 | G | E | U | N | A | Q | Z | G | Z | L | E | C | G | Y | U | X | U | E | E | N | J | T | B | J | L | B | Q | C | R | T |
| 7 | B | J | D | F | H | R | R | Y | I | Z | E | T | K | Z | E | M | V | D | U | F | K | S | J | H | K | F | W | H | K | U |
| 8 | W | Q | L | S | Z | F | T | I | H | H | D | D | D | U | V | H | ? | D | W | K | B | F | U | F | P | W | N | T | D | F |
| 9 | I | Y | C | U | Q | Z | E | R | E | E | V | L | D | K | F | E | Z | M | O | Q | Q | J | L | T | T | U | G | S | Y | Q |
| 10 | P | F | E | U | N | L | A | V | I | D | X | F | L | G | G | T | E | Z | ? | F | K | Z | B | S | F | D | Q | V | G | O |
| 11 | G | I | P | U | F | X | H | H | D | R | K | F | F | H | Q | N | T | G | P | U | A | E | C | N | U | V | P | D | J | M |
| 12 | Q | C | L | Q | U | M | U | N | E | D | F | Q | E | L | Z | Z | V | R | R | G | K | F | F | V | O | E | E | X | B | D |
| 13 | M | V | P | N | F | Q | X | E | Z | L | G | R | E | D | N | Q | F | M | P | N | Z | G | L | F | L | P | M | R | J | Q |
| 14 | Y | A | L | M | G | N | U | V | P | D | X | V | K | P | D | Q | U | M | E | B | E | D | M | H | D | A | F | M | J | G |
| 15 | Z | N | U | P | L | G | E | W | J | L | L | A | E | T | G | E | N | D | Y | A | H | R | O | H | N | L | S | R | H | E |
| 16 | O | C | P | T | E | O | I | B | I | D | Y | S | H | N | A | I | A | C | H | T | N | R | E | Y | U | L | D | S | L | L |
| 17 | S | L | L | N | O | H | S | N | O | S | M | R | W | X | M | N | E | T | P | R | N | G | A | T | I | H | N | R | A | R |
| 18 | P | E | S | L | N | N | E | L | E | B | L | P | I | I | A | C | A | E | W | M | T | W | N | D | I | T | E | E | N | R |
| 19 | A | H | C | T | E | N | E | U | D | R | E | T | N | H | A | E | O | E | T | F | O | L | S | E | D | T | I | W | E | N |
| 20 | H | A | E | I | O | Y | T | E | Y | Q | H | E | E | N | C | T | A | Y | C | R | E | I | F | T | B | R | S | P | A | M |
| 21 | H | H | E | W | E | N | A | T | A | M | A | T | E | G | Y | E | E | R | L | B | T | E | E | F | O | A | S | F | I | O |
| 22 | T | U | E | T | U | A | E | O | T | O | A | R | M | A | E | E | R | T | N | R | T | I | B | S | E | D | D | N | I | A |
| 23 | A | H | T | T | M | S | T | E | W | P | I | E | R | O | A | G | R | I | E | W | F | E | B | A | E | C | T | D | D | H |
| 24 | I | L | C | E | I | H | S | I | T | E | G | O | E | A | O | S | D | D | R | Y | D | L | O | R | I | T | R | K | L | M |
| 25 | L | E | H | A | G | T | D | H | A | R | D | P | N | E | O | H | M | G | F | M | F | E | U | H | E | E | C | D | M | R |
| 26 | I | P | F | E | I | M | E | H | N | L | S | S | T | T | R | T | V | D | O | H | W | ? | O | B | K | R | U | O | X | O |
| 27 | G | H | U | L | B | S | O | L | I | F | B | B | W | F | L | R | V | Q | Q | P | R | N | G | K | S | S | O | T | W | T |
| 28 | Q | S | J | Q | S | S | E | K | Z | Z | W | A | T | J | K | L | U | D | I | A | W | I | N | F | B | N | Y | P | V | T |
| 29 | T | M | Z | F | P | K | W | G | D | K | Z | X | T | J | C | D | I | G | K | U | H | U | A | U | E | K | C | A | R | |
| PLAIN TEXT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |
| 1 | B | E | T | W | E | E | N | S | U | B | T | L | E | S | H | A | D | I | N | G | A | N | D | T | H | E | A | B | S | E |
| 2 | N | C | E | O | F | L | I | G | H | T | L | I | E | S | T | H | E | N | U | A | N | C | E | O | F | I | Q | L | U | S |
| 3 | I | O | N | I | T | W | A | S | T | O | T | A | L | L | Y | I | N | V | I | S | I | B | L | E | H | O | W | S | T | H |
| 4 | A | T | P | O | S | S | I | B | L | E | ? | T | H | E | Y | U | S | E | D | T | H | E | E | A | R | T | H | S | M | A |
| 5 | G | N | E | T | I | C | F | I | E | L | D | x | T | H | E | I | N | F | O | R | M | A | T | I | O | N | W | A | S | G |
| 6 | A | T | H | E | R | E | D | A | N | D | T | R | A | N | S | M | I | T | T | E | D | U | N | D | E | R | G | R | U | U |
| 7 | N | D | T | O | A | N | U | N | K | N | O | W | N | L | O | C | A | T | I | O | N | x | D | O | E | S | L | A | N | G |
| 8 | L | E | Y | K | N | O | W | A | B | O | U | T | T | H | I | S | ? | T | H | E | Y | S | H | O | U | L | D | I | T | S |
| 9 | B | U | R | I | E | D | O | U | T | T | H | E | R | E | S | O | M | E | W | H | E | R | E | x | W | H | O | K | N | O |
| 10 | W | S | T | H | E | E | X | A | C | T | L | O | C | A | T | I | O | N | ? | O | N | L | Y | W | W | T | H | I | S | W |
| 11 | A | S | H | I | S | L | A | S | T | M | E | S | S | A | G | E | x | T | H | I | R | T | Y | E | I | G | H | T | D | E |
| 12 | G | R | E | E | S | F | I | F | T | Y | S | E | V | E | N | M | I | N | U | T | E | S | S | I | X | P | O | I | N | T |
| 13 | F | I | V | E | S | E | C | O | N | D | S | N | O | R | T | H | S | E | V | E | N | T | Y | S | E | V | E | N | D | E |
| 14 | G | R | E | E | S | E | I | G | H | T | M | I | N | U | T | E | S | F | O | R | T | Y | F | O | U | R | S | E | C | O |
| 15 | N | D | S | W | E | S | T | L | A | Y | E | R | T | W | O | S | L | O | W | L | Y | D | E | S | P | A | R | A | T | L |
| 16 | Y | S | L | O | W | L | Y | T | H | E | R | E | M | A | I | N | S | O | F | P | A | S | S | A | G | E | D | E | B | R |
| 17 | I | S | T | H | A | T | E | N | C | U | M | B | E | R | E | D | T | H | E | L | O | W | E | R | P | A | R | T | O | F |
| 18 | T | H | E | D | O | O | R | W | A | Y | W | A | S | R | E | M | O | V | E | D | W | I | T | H | T | R | E | M | B | L |
| 19 | I | N | G | H | A | N | D | S | I | M | A | D | E | A | T | I | N | Y | B | R | E | A | C | H | I | N | T | H | E | U |
| 20 | P | P | E | R | L | E | F | T | H | A | N | D | C | O | R | N | E | R | A | N | D | T | H | E | N | W | I | D | E | N |
| 21 | I | N | G | T | H | E | H | O | L | E | A | L | I | T | T | L | E | I | I | N | S | E | R | T | E | D | T | H | E | C |
| 22 | A | N | D | L | E | A | N | D | P | E | E | R | E | D | I | N | T | H | E | H | O | T | A | I | R | E | S | C | A | P |
| 23 | I | N | G | F | R | O | M | T | H | E | C | H | A | M | B | E | R | C | A | U | S | E | D | T | H | E | F | L | A | M |
| 24 | E | T | O | F | L | I | C | K | E | R | B | U | T | P | R | E | S | E | N | T | L | Y | D | E | T | A | I | L | S | O |
| 25 | F | T | H | E | R | O | O | M | W | I | T | H | I | N | E | M | E | R | G | E | D | F | R | O | M | T | H | E | M | I |
| 26 | S | T | X | C | A | N | Y | O | U | S | E | E | A | N | Y | T | H | I | N | G | Q | ? | ||||||||
STEP TWO: STEGANOGRAPHY / PALIMPSEST – Start by looking at the new plain text matrix. Starting form the “U” in “buried” from K2 and then work your way down 3 additional letters. Then start from the “C” in “seconds” (five se”C”onds north) and work your way down 3 additional letters. You’ll see the words USSR CITY.
STEP THREE: COORDINATES (ABSCISSA) – Now find the exact same letter positions in the cipher text matrix. The characters should be YFICXUEI.
STEP FOUR: VARIANT BEAUFORT – Apply the letter sequence as a partial OTP pass key to solving K4 using the Vigenere encryption method BUT instead of decoding you need to encode K4. This is also called Variant Beaufort cipher.
ALPHABET KEY: KRYPTOS
PASS KEY: YFICXUEI
PARTIAL K4 FRAGMENT: FBNYPVTT (includes the NYPVTT clue plus 2 additional letters)
SOLUTION: HQ BERLIN
STEP FIVE: If this is the method then find the remaining hidden text within the PT matrix and figure out where to apply it in the K4 sequence. Solved?
Tagged: Beaufort, Berlin, kryptos, NYPVTT, Variant, Zac S
