Flash simulation of the Enigma cipher machine with visualization of the permutations(enigmaco.de)
enigmaco.de
Flash simulation of the Enigma cipher machine with visualization of the permutations
http://enigmaco.de/enigma/enigma.swf
5 comments
The Enigma was a very advanced cipher at the time, even though it was eventually broken. Not that long ago, if you think about it. Which makes you wonder if a slightly more advanced civilization can visualize and take apart MD5, SHA-1 and AES just as easily as we can the Enigma.
"was eventually broken - Not that long ago"
The smart folk at Bletchley Park (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bletchley_Park) were happily deciphering German messages for most of the war.
The smart folk at Bletchley Park (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bletchley_Park) were happily deciphering German messages for most of the war.
Oh, I meant that the whole thing was not too long ago, WW2 and everything, in the scale of human progress. (I know all about Bletchley -- crypto is part of my day job :-)
Except we have taken apart md5, sha1 and working on AES... cryptosystems are made to be broken. We haven't proven if a one way function exists. When we can do that then we can move forward in encryption.
The U-505 Submarine exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, which is extremely detailed overall, features a few sub-exhibits on Enigma machines including simulators, which you can experiment with, use, and encode and decode messages for/from other patrons.