Comment on Kryptos by Someone that cracked it

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below is a best-effort attempt to “solve” K4 with currently available clues and known techniques. <strong>Important disclaimer</strong>: <em>K4 remains officially unsolved. No one (outside Jim Sanborn himself) has produced a final, verified plaintext.</em> That said, we <strong>do</strong> know certain fragments (“BERLIN,” “CLOCK,” “EASTNORTHEAST”) and have a sense of likely methods (multi-layer ciphers, transposition, etc.). The workflow below integrates these clues, demonstrates how they might be extracted, and shows where we get stuck.1. The Known Ciphertext</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>K4’s 97-character ciphertext (characters numbered 0–96):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>mathematica</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CopyEdit</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><code>0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 ... O B K R U O X O G H U L B S O L ... ... 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 ... K A R</code></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Full text for reference:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CopyEdit</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><code>OBKRUOXOGHULBSOLIFBBWFLRVQQPRNGKSSOTWTQSJQSSEKZZWATJKLUDIAWINFBNYPVTTMZFPKWGDKZXTJCDIGKUHUAUEKCAR </code>Known Positions of Key Substrings</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Positions 22–34</strong>: <code>FLRVQQPRNGKSS</code> → “EASTNORTHEAST” (per official hints from Sanborn)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Positions 64–69</strong>: <code>NYPVTT</code> → “BERLIN”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Positions 70–74</strong>: <code>MZFPK</code> → “CLOCK”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2. Why We Suspect Multi-Layer Encryption</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>K1–K3 each demonstrated more than one cipher step (e.g., a polyalphabetic cipher + transposition). It’s widely assumed K4 does the same, building on earlier methods:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>A Quagmire or Vigenère-like cipher</strong> with a key related to <em>KRYPTOS</em>, or derived from K1’s text (e.g., <code>EMUFPHZLRFA</code>).</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Transposition</strong> guided by coordinates or the Berlin Clock structure.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Possibly a final “reading direction” or step referencing <em>NORTHEAST</em> or the Berlin Clock’s 4/4/11/4 layout.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3. Attempted Step-by-Step Approach</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below is a <strong>representative</strong> method—one that many cryptanalysts have tried in variations. It <em>does</em> force “BERLIN” and “CLOCK” to appear where we want them, but we haven’t yet derived a coherent final sentence. Think of this as a partial decryption puzzle.3.1 Quagmire3 Decryption (or Vigenère Variation)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hypothesis: K4 uses a Quagmire3 (or very close) method with:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Primary Key</strong>: <code>KRYPTOS</code> (the statue’s name, used in K1–K3)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Secondary Key</strong>: <code>EMUFPHZLRFA</code> (the first 11 chars of K1 ciphertext, also used earlier)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:quote --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Note: Different cryptanalysts shift these keys, align them in various ways, or try other combos (KRYPTOS, ABSCISSA, PALIMPSEST, etc.). Below is just one plausible attempt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pseudocode:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>python</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CopyEdit</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><code>ciphertext = "OBKRUOXOGHULB...UEKCAR" primary_key = "KRYPTOS" secondary_key = "EMUFPHZLRFA" plaintext_intermediate = quagmire3_decrypt(ciphertext, primary_key, secondary_key)</code></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This step <em>should</em> output something that looks “closer” to a transposable message (not final English). Let’s call that output:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>makefile</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CopyEdit</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><code>plaintext_intermediate = GMFDZ...NYPVTT...MZFPK...QXH...</code></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(<em>not actual text, just an example</em>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We check that positions 64–69 in the <em>intermediate</em> align to something that can transpose to “BERLIN,” etc.3.2 Transposition With Coordinates</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>K2</strong> gave coordinates near CIA HQ: 38°57′6.5″N, 77°8′44″W. People often use these numbers for rearranging the intermediate text. One popular scheme:y=77+38x(mod97)y = 77 + 38x pmod{97}y=77+38x(mod97)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>We treat each character position x∈[0…96]x in [0 dots 96]x∈[0…96]</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Compute yyy to get the new position of that character in a re-shuffled 97-character string</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Or we do the inverse mapping to figure out from which position to read the next plaintext letter</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Goal: Force the known segments into the correct positions so that we see “...EASTNORTHEAST...BERLIN...CLOCK...”3.3 Berlin Clock Structuring</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From Jim Sanborn’s hints, the <em>Berlin Clock</em> is relevant. It’s arranged with rows of lamps in a 4/4/11/4 pattern. Each row can represent hours/minutes in base-5:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>mathematica</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CopyEdit</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><code>Row A: 4 lamps Row B: 4 lamps Row C: 11 lamps Row D: 4 lamps</code></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One approach:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Break the transposed string into groups of 4, 4, 11, and 4 characters (total 23).</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Then interpret them in 5-bit or base-5 blocks.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Possibly read them “diagonally” or from right to left to represent the “east-northeast” direction.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Again, the <em>exact procedure</em> is unclear—puzzle solvers have tried many permutations. But we suspect the final text might be teased out by reading these blocks in some systematic pattern.3.4 Checking Against Known Fragments</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At each iteration, we confirm:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Positions 64–69</strong> decode or transpose to “BERLIN.”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Positions 70–74</strong> decode or transpose to “CLOCK.”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Positions 22–34</strong> reveal “EASTNORTHEAST.”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If that alignment breaks, we know our transposition or Quagmire parameters are off.4. Partial (Hypothetical) Output</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In practice, you end up with an incomplete or partially coherent text, for example:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>mathematica</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CopyEdit</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><code>... EASTNORTHEAST ... AT BERLIN CLOCK ... ... T U N N E L ... C O O R D S ... ... 38 57 6.5N 77 8 44W ... ... XXXXXXXXX ...</code></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(<em>This is just an example of what a partial readout might look like if you piece together the known words. We don’t have an officially confirmed final reading.</em>)5. Where We Hit the Wall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite forcing the known words into place, puzzle solvers get stuck with <em>other portions</em> of the text. The remainder often doesn’t form recognizable English or produces many plausible but unverified expansions. The biggest challenges:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Exact Key Alignments</strong><br>Off-by-one or -two in a cipher can distort the entire output.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Possible Extra Steps</strong><br>There might be a second (or third) transposition, a nuance in how the Berlin Clock’s binary is read, or a final re-keying.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong>Non-Standard Alphabets</strong><br>K1–K3 used slight illusions to typical ciphers. K4 might similarly have a trick or a variant step (like an inserted null).</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ol> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Because we <strong>lack official confirmation</strong> from Sanborn about the final phrase, we can’t know if we’re “close.” Repeated attempts have gotten partial decodes that align with “BERLIN” and “CLOCK,” but not the entire K4 solution.6. Conclusion: A Partial (But Unconfirmed) Decoding</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>What We Can Solve</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>We can place “EASTNORTHEAST,” “BERLIN,” and “CLOCK” with high confidence.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>We can guess there’s a structured message referencing something about time, coordinates, or location (given the puzzle’s overall theme).</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>What We Cannot Solve</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>The complete K4 plaintext or any final “riddle” is still unverified.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>There’s no <em>publicly known</em> arrangement that yields a coherent English solution from start to finish.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bottom Line</strong><br>Your multi-step approach (Quagmire → coordinate-based transposition → Berlin Clock encoding) is <em>exactly</em> the kind of systematic method used by dedicated Kryptos solvers. It does yield partial alignment with known anchors—but the puzzle’s final text remains elusive. <em>No one</em> has yet pinned down the last piece, and Jim Sanborn has not confirmed any additional official solutions beyond the handful of short hints.Final Word</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In short, <em>this</em> is how you “solve” K4 with what’s known—by running these cipher layers, aligning the known plaintext fragments, and attempting a final readout. <strong>However, a fully validated plaintext is still out of reach.</strong> Kryptos K4 remains one of modern cryptography’s most tantalizing unsolved puzzles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->