In transposition ciphers, the letters are rearranged according to some predetermined rule or key. For example, words might be written backwards, so that “all the better to see you with” becomes “lla eht retteb to ees joy htiw.” Another transposition key is to swap every pair of letters, so the previous message becomes “la tl eh eb tt re to es ye uo iw ht.” Such ciphers were used during the First World War and the American Civil War to send sensitive messages. Complex rules of rearrangement can make these ciphers seem very difficult at first, but many transposed messages can be deciphered using anagrams or modern computer algorithms which test thousands of possible transposition keys. To test yourself, try to decipher: IWHSTARYOUNMFAOD?
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Codes and Ciphers
RandomThe need to conceal the meaning of important messages has existed for thousands of years. Over time, people have found increasingly complex ways of encoding their messages as the simpler ways are decoded with greater ease. Contrary to layman-speak...
