Cryptography Discussion 3.4
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Feb 20, 2024
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Uploaded by PrivatePrairieDog1133
Topic #5: German Cipher Machines of World War II / The ENIGMA Machine
Part 1:
1)
What was the objective?
The primary goal of the United States was to crack the encrypted messages sent by the Germans using the ENIGMA machine. By accomplishing this, the United States could get an inside view of the Germans plans, locations, and activities. With over a hundred trillion possible combinations, there was a lot of work to be done. The Turing Machine was invented to break it
2)
What was done/what happened?
The Allies Powers initiated an effort to break the ENIGMA machine. This was kept a top secret to
prevent Germans from changing the code more often that it was, and to make sure the months of hard work were not wasted. The Allies established a base in the United Kingdom with code breakers and mathematicians from around the world. As time passed and more developments were made, the Allies were able to track German U-Boats, time invasions, and decrypt everyday messages that were supposedly “encrypted” from the Germans.
3)
What went well?
The ENIGMA machine was eventually broken resulting in a success and significantly affecting who won the war.
4)
What did not go well?
The time it took to break the code was not the most efficient and ended up costing a lot of lives.
The immense challenge of the ENIGMA machine was slow at first, but as computers and other technologies were invented, the process sped up. Additionally with the versatility of the code breaker, the Germans were able to change the keys at any point, basically resetting the Allies progress.
5)
What could be done differently/better in the future?
In the future, it would be beneficial to continue investing in code breakers and different techniques that are more up-to-date (ie cybersecurity). If the United States is able to stay ahead
of its adversaries in the field of codebreaking and cryptography it could provide a HUGE advantage to understand enemy moves before they are executed.
Part 2:
Could a scenario like the one you selected occur today with advances in cryptography and encryption since World War II? Why or why not?
While a scenario like the one we talked about could occur, it is highly unlikely
due to several reasons. Firstly, computers have significantly evolved, and encryption techniques are highly complex with extremely long keys. These devices are not physical like the ENIGMA machine, so the variability is much
greater. The only way I see a scenario like the one in WW2 occurring, is if a global superpower creates a quantum computer that no one else has. For instance, the United States and Russia. If the US was able to get an effective quantum computer, they would have a much easier time decrypting Russian messages and the Russians would have a much harder time decrypting our quantum encrypted messages. This could create an imbalance, that could result in a scenario where we are able to intercept Russian messages and place preventative measures in place before the attack or plan is put into place.
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