[Guest]

I came across this story earlier today while surfing the web.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/march/cryptanalysis_032911

In a nutshell. This guy Ricky was murdered in 1999. He loved to encrypt everything and wrote all his notes in code. The police found several encrypted notes on his body and the FBI has been trying to un-encrypt them with no luck so they have released the notes to the public and are asking amateur cryptographers for help. Solving the puzzle could tell the police where Ricky was and what he was doing in the hours before his death and could lead to the killer being captured.

I've never been any good with cyphers harder than your average cryptogram found in puzzle magazines so I know this is over my head, but I know there are a lot of smart people on this forum and perhaps one of you has the talent to solve it.

Note: I know April Fool's is coming up soon but as far as I know, this is a real story and that is a real link to the FBI's website. (They don't seem like the practical joker types to me)

[peace*out]

wow...

that looks really confusing...

[fabpig]

Thought I'd rescue this before it plunged off the page. I've studied it and the only thing I've noticed is the words 'bets' and 'tote' but that's probably coincidence. Anyway, I thought the combined brainpower of the den might come up with something. I'll be the ashtray on your motorcycle.

[superprismatic]

Here's a typed version. I can't vouch for its accuracy.

P1

(MHD MKNE A RSE-S-M-KNARE) (ACSM)

OTFRNE NPtNSE NPBSE RCBBNSE NPRSE INC

PRSE NMRSE OPRE HLDWLDNCBE (TFXLF TCXL NCBE)

AL-PRPPIT XLYPPIY NCBE MGKSE INCDRCBRNSE PRSE

WLDRCBRNSE NTSBNEN TXSE-CRSLE-CITRSE WLD NCBE

ALWLP NCBE TSME LRSE RLSE URGLSNEASN WLD NCBE

(NO PFSE NLSRE NCBE) NTEGDDMNSENCURERCBRNE

(TENE TFRNE NCBRTSE NCBE INC)

(FLRSE PRSE ONDE 71 NCBE)

(CDNSE PRSE ONSDE 74 NCBE)

(PRTSE PRSE ONREDE 75 NCBE)

(TFNR CMSP SOLE MRDE LUSE TOTE WLD NWLD NCBE)

(194 WLD's NCBE)(TRFXL)

---------------------------------------…

NOTES

ALPNTE GLSE - SE ERTE

VLSE MTSE-CTSE-WSE-FRTSE

PNRTRSE ON DRSE WLD NCBE

N WLD XLR CMSPNE WLDSTS 'ME XL

DULMT 6 TUNSE NCBE XL

--------------------------------

(MUNSARSTEN M4 N A RSE)

KLSE-LRSTE-TRSE-TRSE-MRSEN-MRSE

(SAE6NSE SE N MBSE)

--------------------------------

NMNRCBRNSEPTE2PTEWSREBRNSE

36 MLSE 74 SPRKSE 29 KENOS OLE + 73 RTRSE

35 SLE CLGSE OUNUTRE DKRSE PSESHLE

651 MTCSE HTLSE N CU TC TRS NMRE

99.84.8 2 UNE PLSE VCRSE AOLTSE NSKSE NBSE

NSRE ONSE PUT SE WLD NCBE (3 X ORL)

--------------------------------

?NMSE NRSE I N 2 N TRLERCB ANSE NTSRCR O NE

LSPNSE N G-SPSE MSKE R 8 SE NEBE AU XL R

HM CRENMRE NCBE 1/2 MUNDDLSE

--------------------------------

D-W-M-4 HPL XDRLX

[fabpig]

If it's of any use, the letter count is as follows:

A - 13  N - 88	

B - 31  O - 16 

C - 43  P - 31

D - 28  Q - 0

E - 133 R - 72

F - 9   S - 99

G - 2   T - 43

H - 6	U - 13 

I - 7  	V - 2

J - 0	W - 15

K - 9	X - 12

L - 51  Y - 2

M - 29  Z - 0

Notwithstanding vowels, that looks about in proportion for everyday English to me.

[Guest]

My newbie crypto skills noticed that "NCBE" was repeated a lot. However I'm assuming this is more complicated than a simple letter substitution cryptogram or else the experts would have cracked it long ago.

[Guest]

I found this article through another friend, and also thought to bring it here. I'm glad Maquis had the same idea.

From the article sidebar:

Breaking any code involves

four basic steps:

1. determining the language used;

2. determining the system used;

3. reconstructing the key; and

4. reconstructing the plaintext.

Concerning step one on the list, one of the best codes the US ever used was through the Navajo language, which the Germans couldn't crack because they didn't know where to start on it. Although the public has no knowledge about Ricky, I wonder if he could have been the type of person who'd learn fake, yet full, languages like Klingon or Elvish. Even if Ricky had been using encoded notes his whole life, I imagine his method would evolve over time. As he got older, if he were to pick up on a fake language and filter it into his encryption, it would lead to a thoroughly difficult outcome because all the methods used to decipher the letters still result in a "gibberish" outcome to anyone not fluent in a very uncommon language.

Anyone on the forum know any of the popular fake languages to try as a starting point?

[Guest]

Hmm, very good point. The code appears to be a simple letter substitution because of the frequency of repeated patterns such as "WLD NCBE" yet we must assume otherwise.

I glanced at the codes when I first read the article and my first thought was that some knowledge about Ricky would be needed. What were his hobbies? Did he speak any other languages? Was he a Star Trek fan? If so, then it could be Klingon. Did he have any favorite novels? Perhaps the code comes from one of them.

However, if it were me and I wanted to encrypt stuff and if I were fluent in Klingon, I'd just write my message in Klingon with no encryption. That's cryptic enough.

I love Star Trek (that's where my username comes from) and I know there are plenty of folks that have learned Klingon well enough to speak it fluently however I'm not one of them.