Puzzle Masters / Cryptographers

[Smee]

Anyone here fancy themselves a good cryptographer?

The FBI is trying to decrypt two notes found on a body. They are hoping that the information on the notes will help catch a killer. Because they have been unsuccessful, they have opened an appeal to the public to assist.

You can read the story here: http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/march/cryptanalysis_032911

Can you figure it out? If so, contact the FBI through their site.

 

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[Red James Cash]

Good luck with that one. Its probably a random cipher that has a random key.

 

[Kentucky Kache]

Could have been something the guy came up with himself. Maybe he was a treasure hunter and/or an amateur cryptographer.

 

[Smee]

Maybe I should have posted in "Treasure Marks and Signs" . . . it is a puzzle which may actually lead to something other than a killer because there seems to be a set of global coordinates (although probably encoded --- but is what got my attention). Maybe I'll re-post it there.

 

[ivan salis]

hum -- CBE is used alot along with a small n too like "n (break) CBE (break) n mabye code for the person he was meeting ? --

WLD is also used often * like in a name of a item or person -- plus in the one note it has a WLD'S --with a apostrophy --as in ownership -- AS IN (joe's cat) OR SEVERAL OF SOMETHING LIKE HUNDRED'S OF .....

might have been a item WLD items being transfered----- WLD -- WLD'S TO / FROM CBE TO HIM OR FROM HIM TO CBE .

THEY SAY THE VICTIM HAD "STREET SMARTS" -- maybe the "deal" for the 194 WLD'S to / from CBE went "sour" AND THAT LEAD TO THE MURDER

HUMM --LOOKS LIKE I'M GOING TO BE PLAYING WITH THIS ONE A BIT.

so far on first glance ---(194 n WLD'S n CBE )--- 194 "whereever WLD is" going to / or coming from CBE * -- looks like a "deal" of some sort was occuring -- most likely drugs , guns ,or hot goods of some sort

 

[Red James Cash]

Theres a P1 with a circle around it, upper right hand corner, obviously page 1. The guy could of been the middle man, messenger if you will. If so theres only 2 keys available. The sender and the receiver. Being marked as page 1 means there could be more, unless placed there to be deceiving. Its almost impossible to crack a random cipher without a key.

 

[ivan salis]

almost * is the key phrase

he has some slip ups in his code * -- his use of the the apostrophy * for exsample -- WLD'S --it tips off the fact that WLD is a item or person -- denotes amount of or ownership of --- as in joe's cat --or --hundred's of

-its a weak spot in the code.

the small n's are used similar to a the way a break (stop) is in the old morse code type pattern WLD n (break) CBE n(break)

any cords in the code might be drop zone spot "cords" where the exchanges was to occur.

 

[Red James Cash]

That is true ivan. The n thing is a possibility but, there are a few spots that have a pretty long run of letters, one 15 letters long, though there are small breaks in between on one of the letter runs. whether placed there on purpose or not

 

[ivan salis]

could be a "mixed" or onion type "layered" code basically --a code or codes within another code -- the n 's used as breaks within the first layer only -- thus you have to crack several sub codes

 

[gord]

Or maybe the guy was just totally dyslexic, and he could read and write this as 'clear'.

 

[ivan salis]

dyslexic's see in reverse --thus "stop" on a spot sign looks like "pots" but thru proper education they can learn that "pots" means stop *---- its a mental "visual" processing error -- thus its not dyslexic style writing

 

[gord]

There are many kinds of dyslexia; reversal is only one.

 

[Ray S ECenFL]

You would think that if the FBI had issues with this code that they would have consulsted with the NSA. That is their business. Why bother to put it out to the general public?

Only reason I could imagine would be to see if someone else had the key to the code and was willing to decipher it, but that would only work if there was a substantial reward to sweeten the pot.

Just my two cents.

Ray S ECenFL

 

[Immy]

Could be they're trolling for suspects.

 

[Felinepeachy]

The cops did this back when they were trying to decipher the Zodiac killers letters. A guy and his wife cracked it after it was published in the newspaper.