UK cryptographers did not decipher the code transmitted with the pigeon

British cryptographers, in collaboration with the Government Communications Center, spent several weeks deciphering the code that was found with the pigeon's skeleton . Now experts are confident that this code will not be able to be decrypted without access to the original cryptographic data.



There is only a small hope of finding some traces of this data - each bird used by the service had its own unique ID. The note indicated 2 such IDs (NURP.40.TW.194 and NURP.37.OK.76). The curator of the local Museum of Pigeons is trying to track these numbers in the archival data, and if it can be done, it can help a little.

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Although cryptographers were disappointed that they could not do anything, they pay tribute to the specialists of that time, because those had to work under difficult conditions, but they were able to develop a ciphering system that they could not crack at that time, in times of war, or now.



It is believed that there are two main reasons for code inaccessibility.



1 - the code was based on a one-time set, random numbers and symbols were used, known only to the sender and the receiver.

2 - for such operations a permanent system of encryption / decryption was developed, and there was a special book of correspondences of symbols. Most likely, because of the precautions, the book was only one, and with a high degree of probability it has already been destroyed.



The Center for Government Communications received this code at the beginning of November, but on Friday (the 23rd), employees officially admitted that they were completely deadlocked. Now the agency relies only on possible additional information from the public.







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