“Maybe you’re mistaken–maybe this first part of the Kryptos code is really not a polyalphabetic Vigenere Tableau after all — maybe it’s a different type of code entirely. Or maybe it is a Vigenere code, but it’s been double or triple encoded — or maybe it was encoded backwards.”

David Stein
CIA analyst
Directorate of Intelligence

 

November 3 2023 — Kryptos is a sculpture by the American artist Jim Sanborn located on the grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Langley, Virginia. Of the four parts of the message, the first three have been solved. The last part of the message remains as one of the most famous unsolved code in the world. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

RELATED POST: KRYPTOS 30-Year Anniversary — Introduction : Sculpture Dedication Ceremony at the CIA (November 3 1990)

RELATED POST: KRYPTOS 30 Years Anniversary — How to Break a Vigenère Code

RELATED POST: KRYPTOS 30 Years Anniversary — The Solution of Section II

RELATED POST: KRYPTOS 30 Years Anniversary — History of the NSA Involvement

RELATED POST: KRYPTOS 30 Years Anniversary — SECTION I : A KEYED Vigenère Cipher [And why does the CIA lie so much about it?]

RELATED POST : KRYPTOS 30 Years Anniversary — SECTION III : A Transposition Cipher

UPDATE (November 3, 2024) — It has been 34 years, and, as the CIA reminds us, the fourth section (now referred to as K4) has not been broken.

According to the agency website, the code for the remaining 97-character message utilizes a more difficult cryptographic code.

End of UPDATE

“They will be able to read what I wrote, but what I wrote is a mystery itself.”

James Sanborn

Since its dedication on November 3 1990, there has been much speculation about the meaning of the four encrypted messages it bears.

The sculpture continues to be of interest to crypto-analysts, both amateur and professional, who are attempting to decipher the fourth passage.

The artist has so far given four clues to this passage.

RELATED POST: The KRYPTOS Sculpture — Jim Sanborn : “This is the third and to be sure final clue.” [UPDATE : And now, a 4th clue!?!]

In a piece published in CIA Studies in Intelligence, David Stein concluded:

“I hope I have inspired some people to study the Kryptos puzzle and to give it a try.

Even the parts of the code that already have been decrypted still have to be interpreted for their deeper meaning.

There are many pieces to be put together and many layers to be peeled away.”

In this series, I explain how various parts of this code were encrypted, who decoded them and how.

I will also keep you informed on the progress made in decoding the last part of this enigma.

Stay tuned!

Kryptos: The Unsolved Cipher of the CIA

REFERENCES

Kryptos — Wikipedia

Stein, David D. (1999). “The Puzzle at CIA Headquarters: Cracking the Courtyard Crypto” — Studies in Intelligence. 43 (1).

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KRYPTOS Week — Introduction : Sculpture Dedication Ceremony at the CIA (November 3 1990)