39 replies to this topic

[octopuppy]

Wow, didn't think this one would last so long!

CALIFORNIA
FEOLJSTO

HAWAII
KEXDLLLC

WISCONSIN
YKUEQOTJ

[octopuppy]

NORTHCAROLINA
RSTXJEBU

RHODEISLAND
SKREIMWO

VIRGINIA
WJUKMPKB

Only 8 states left!

[araver]

More like a "Function Menace" than a "Phantom Function".

Seriously, my brain is telling me it's not properly wired for this particular code, so you might wanna delay it for other Hackers to join in.
It hasn't been exactly a peak in activity for a while now (Thanksgiving and all).

[octopuppy]

More like a "Function Menace" than a "Phantom Function".

Seriously, my brain is telling me it's not properly wired for this particular code, so you might wanna delay it for other Hackers to join in.
It hasn't been exactly a peak in activity for a while now (Thanksgiving and all).

Yes I am getting the feeling it's just you and me!
Good thinking, I'll spin out the last 8. Don't lose heart, I'm pretty sure this is doable if you look hard enough. After your last one, I thought it would be a doddle. OK, it's not exactly the same, but still....

[dawh]

Yes I am getting the feeling it's just you and me!
Good thinking, I'll spin out the last 8. Don't lose heart, I'm pretty sure this is doable if you look hard enough. After your last one, I thought it would be a doddle. OK, it's not exactly the same, but still....

Of course, you were the one to solve the last one...

Also, as araver said, I haven't had a chance to examine this at all. So I don't know if I could solve it or not. I'll get to it soon, if I can.

[araver]

Yes I am getting the feeling it's just you and me!
Good thinking, I'll spin out the last 8. Don't lose heart, I'm pretty sure this is doable if you look hard enough. After your last one, I thought it would be a doddle. OK, it's not exactly the same, but still....

Coming clean with what I have so far ... some thoughts of cryptanalysis.
Can be read independently of the last code you're referring too (no spoiler for that in here).

Spoiler for

My current hypothesis is that the first character is shifted +f1(command) than the first character in the command. where f1(command)=1,2,3 or 4.

Searching for a function that predicts function f1 has yielded so far the following thoughts:
- (Sure) first three characters in command are not enough to determine a first character in password (counter-examples: NEWMEXICO,NEWYORK, NEWHAMPSHIRE)
- (Sure) last character in command does seem to play a role (e.g. NEVADA, NEBRASKA start the same)
- (Sure 99%- Occam's Razor) second character in command does not seem to play a role (e.g. NEVADA, NEBRASKA, NORTH* start the same, despite the change in second character)

So, I'm pretty sure (for a while now) that f1 depends on first and last character. However, I did not find a simple f1 such that:

f1(A,A)=4
f1(A,F)=4
f1(A,G)=4
f1(A,N)=4
f1(A,I)=3
f1(A,M)=2
and so forth

It also seems commutative (f1(O,N)=f1(N,O)=3).

On the other side(s):
- normal crib finding and matching did not succeed (as they usually do if the same type of function is used for each letter in password).
- predicting f1(T,A) is not trivial without a strong notion of what f1 is so there's no simple brute-force even for the first character.
- no shift (start point choosing) appears to be in play, neither visible in how the password looks (sure of that), neither in how the password is computed (almost sure)
- all the differences are 1,2,3,4 which suggest either modulo 4 or bitwise operations modulo 2 (none satisfactory so far).
- either order does play a role OR the rounds of the function accumulate e.g. crib KANSAS in ARKANSAS yields different outcomes, yet the first-order delta sequence between the outcomes is -1 2 0 1 0 in KANSAS and 1 -2 0 -1 0 in ARKANSAS which suggest a sign-change

And that's about all I have ATM.

[octopuppy]

Coming clean with what I have so far ... some thoughts of cryptanalysis.
Can be read independently of the last code you're referring too (no spoiler for that in here).

Spoiler for

My current hypothesis is that the first character is shifted +f1(command) than the first character in the command. where f1(command)=1,2,3 or 4.

Searching for a function that predicts function f1 has yielded so far the following thoughts:
- (Sure) first three characters in command are not enough to determine a first character in password (counter-examples: NEWMEXICO,NEWYORK, NEWHAMPSHIRE)
- (Sure) last character in command does seem to play a role (e.g. NEVADA, NEBRASKA start the same)
- (Sure 99%- Occam's Razor) second character in command does not seem to play a role (e.g. NEVADA, NEBRASKA, NORTH* start the same, despite the change in second character)

So, I'm pretty sure (for a while now) that f1 depends on first and last character. However, I did not find a simple f1 such that:

f1(A,A)=4
f1(A,F)=4
f1(A,G)=4
f1(A,N)=4
f1(A,I)=3
f1(A,M)=2
and so forth

It also seems commutative (f1(O,N)=f1(N,O)=3).

On the other side(s):
- normal crib finding and matching did not succeed (as they usually do if the same type of function is used for each letter in password).
- predicting f1(T,A) is not trivial without a strong notion of what f1 is so there's no simple brute-force even for the first character.
- no shift (start point choosing) appears to be in play, neither visible in how the password looks (sure of that), neither in how the password is computed (almost sure)
- all the differences are 1,2,3,4 which suggest either modulo 4 or bitwise operations modulo 2 (none satisfactory so far).
- either order does play a role OR the rounds of the function accumulate e.g. crib KANSAS in ARKANSAS yields different outcomes, yet the first-order delta sequence between the outcomes is -1 2 0 1 0 in KANSAS and 1 -2 0 -1 0 in ARKANSAS which suggest a sign-change

And that's about all I have ATM.

Nice to see the wheels turning. I bet you'll get it soon, or someone else will now you've posted that.

[octopuppy]

Spinning it out now, 2 at a time. Only 6 left! Can I be stopped?

COLORADO
DPNQSDEP

NEWJERSEY
RFANFUVG

[octopuppy]

SOUTHDAKOTA
VRXUKEDO

WYOMING
YZPQMPHA

[octopuppy]

This is it folks, last chance!

IDAHO
JFBKRLED

TEXAS
VHYDVUIA

I can almost taste the victory...