Written by Devin Deng
Cryptography is hiding messages in plain sight. Although they can be viewed, they are usually unreadable without the use of a special key. Messages can be encrypted and then sent to another person who then decrypts the ciphertext (encrypted message) using their special key into plaintext (readable text). Try your hand at this Caesar cipher:
IGKYGX HKIGSK ZNK LOXYZ XUSGT MKTKXGR ZU IXUYY HUZN CNKT NK HAORZ G HXOJMK GIXUYY ZNK XNOTK GTJ IUTJAIZKJ ZNK LOXYZ OTBGYOUT UL HXOZGOT.ZNKYK GINOKBKSKTZY MXGTZKJ NOS ATSGZINKJ SOROZGXE VUCKX GTJ ZNXKGZKTKJ ZU KIROVYK ZNK YZGTJOTM UL VUSVKE, CNU NGJ XKGROMTKJ NOSYKRL COZN ZNK YKTGZK GLZKX ZNK JKGZN UL IXGYYAY OT 53 HI. COZN ZNK MGRROI CGXY IUTIRAJKJ, ZNK YKTGZK UXJKXKJ IGKYGX ZU YZKV JUCT LXUS NOY SOROZGXE IUSSGTJ GTJ XKZAXT ZU XUSK. IGKYGX XKLAYKJ, GTJ SGXQKJ NOY JKLOGTIK OT 49 HI HE IXUYYOTM ZNK XAHOIUT COZN G RKMOUT, RKGBOTM NOY VXUBOTIK GTJ ORRKMGRRE KTZKXOTM XUSGT ZKXXOZUXE ATJKX GXSY. IOBOR CGX XKYARZKJ, LXUS CNOIN NK KSKXMKJ GY ZNK ATXOBGRKJ RKGJKX UL XUSK. ZNK LRGM OY IGKYGX_OY_NUSK.
Don't worry, it'll get harder. ;)
In a caesar cipher all the letters are shifted by the same amount. Use this tool to solve this cipher. This website has an algorithm that can guess the key, which turns out to be 20. The final text is:
CAESAR BECAME THE FIRST ROMAN GENERAL TO CROSS BOTH WHEN HE BUILT A BRIDGE ACROSS THE RHINE AND CONDUCTED THE FIRST INVASION OF BRITAIN.THESE ACHIEVEMENTS GRANTED HIM UNMATCHED MILITARY POWER AND THREATENED TO ECLIPSE THE STANDING OF POMPEY, WHO HAD REALIGNED HIMSELF WITH THE SENATE AFTER THE DEATH OF CRASSUS IN 53 BC. WITH THE GALLIC WARS CONCLUDED, THE SENATE ORDERED CAESAR TO STEP DOWN FROM HIS MILITARY COMMAND AND RETURN TO ROME. CAESAR REFUSED, AND MARKED HIS DEFIANCE IN 49 BC BY CROSSING THE RUBICON WITH A LEGION, LEAVING HIS PROVINCE AND ILLEGALLY ENTERING ROMAN TERRITORY UNDER ARMS. CIVIL WAR RESULTED, FROM WHICH HE EMERGED AS THE UNRIVALED LEADER OF ROME. THE FLAG IS CAESAR_IS_HOME.
CAESAR_IS_HOME