1. The History and Technology of the Enigma Cipher Machine
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of World War I: Dawn of the Crypto Arms Race
Imperial Implosions:  
World War I and its Global Implications
11/9/2018
Ralph Simpson
 Copyright © 2018 CipherHistory.com

2. Radio Transformed Warfare in WWI
WWI first major war which used radio
Used by all military services: Army, Navy, Air Force
Radio was a major advantage for timely military information and also gave commanders coordinated battlefield strategy
But… radio messages easily intercepted by enemy
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of WWI

3. Trench Phone Widely Used in WWI
Trench phone used for immediate voice and Morse code messages
Early in war, messages were not encrypted, at the cost of thousands of lives
Later, encryption was mandated but still not always used
Tapping into enemy phone lines was common practice
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of WWI

4. The History and Technology of the Enigma Cipher Machine
Cryptology Used in WWI
Most common ciphers were Vigenère disk, code books, Playfair, and transposition ciphers
These ciphers were all hundreds of years old with known methods of attack
Many messages intercepted using the same key
US Army Vigenère disk
Page from 1888 code book
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of WWI

5. All WWI Ciphers were Broken!
The History and Technology of the Enigma Cipher Machine
All WWI Ciphers were Broken!
Vigenère disk was declared to be unbreakable by Scientific American magazine in 1917, 450 years after its invention!
But German officer Frederick Kasiski published a solution in 1863
The Playfair cipher had a published solution in 1914 by US Lt. Joseph O. Mauborgne
Code books were broken by spies, recovery of code books, or by code breaking the hundreds of messages
Many messages intercepted using the same key
Some identical messages sent in different ciphers, giving solutions to those ciphers not yet broken
Every country in WWI had their messages compromised!
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of WWI

6. Sinking Lusitania using Burst Encoder
The History and Technology of the Enigma Cipher Machine
Sinking Lusitania using Burst Encoder
Poulsen Wire Recorder
Poulson wire recorder invented in 1899
First use of magnetics for storing information
Germans used wire recorder as first burst encoder
Outrage for sinking turned US public opinion against Germany
US decrypted a burst message to U-20, “Get Lucy”, confirming German intentions
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of WWI

7. Decrypted Telegram Causes US to Enter WW1
The History and Technology of the Enigma Cipher Machine
Decrypted Telegram Causes US to Enter WW1
Zimmermann telegram in older code sent from Wash. DC to Mexico
German ambassador message to Mexico proposing military alliance
Offer to Mexico to re-take US lands formerly part of Mexico
Zimmermann telegram coded via code book
UK intercepts and decodes message, keeps secret
Message relayed from Wash. DC. to Mexico in older code
UK willing to disclose breaking older code, gives decoded message to US
Congress immediately declares war
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of WWI

8. Explosion of New Cipher Technologies
The History and Technology of the Enigma Cipher Machine
Explosion of New Cipher Technologies
Electric rotor cipher machine invented in 4 countries in
First time electricity used to encrypt
Most famous was Enigma machine
Teletype one-time tape invented in 1917
First automatic and unbreakable cipher
NSA called this invention, “perhaps one of the most important in the history of cryptography”
US Lt. Parker Hitt re-invented cipher wheel in 1912
American Indian languages used as code
Burst encoders used to thwart radio detection finding
German Enigma machine
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of WWI

9. The History and Technology of the Enigma Cipher Machine
Cipher Wheel
Cipher wheel invented by Lt. Parker Hitt of US Army in 1912
Previously invented by French Maj. Etienne Bazeries in 1891
Neither inventor knew of previous invention by Thomas Jefferson
US cipher wheel, M-94, used in WWI by military attachés
Used as battlefield cipher from
Germans could break cipher - but too late to be of use
Brass & Bakelite M-94 prototype
All aluminum, production version M-94
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of WWI

10. The History and Technology of the Enigma Cipher Machine
One-Time Tape
One-time teletype is automatic theoretically unbreakable
Codes and decodes without human intervention, delay, or mistakes
Distributing one-time tapes is cumbersome
1943 discovery - teletype relays emit signal betraying message before encryption
Message signal is transported for up to 20 miles on signal wire, electrical wire, plumbing, or through the air
This vulnerability exists today from electonic keyboards & LED screens
Decryption of one-time pads
Russian spies in US reused one-time pads – Venona Project
German ambassadors used machine generated one-time pads – US broke high level messages from
Most Venona codebreakers were women
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of WWI

11. Electric Rotor Cipher Machine
The History and Technology of the Enigma Cipher Machine
Electric Rotor Cipher Machine
Invention of electric rotor machines studied by world’s military
US Navy bought Hebern electric rotor cipher but William Friedman of Army decrypted based on regular odometer style rotor movement
Friedman invents machine with irregular rotor movements, SIGABA
Poland hires mathematicians to break Enigma, invent Bombe
UK further develops Bombe, then invents Colossus to break German teleprinter cipher
Bombe and Colossus represent beginning of the computer revolution
US Navy Bombe
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of WWI

12. History of Crypto Arms Race
The History and Technology of the Enigma Cipher Machine
History of Crypto Arms Race
At the start of WWI, cipher technology was unchanged for hundreds of years
Radio and trench phones of WWI exposed failure of existing cryptology
Machine encryption replaced manual method with many new technologies
Breaking these new cipher technologies led to the computer revolution
Crypto arms race has been a secret battlefield for 100 years
NSA slide on Google backdoor -
“SSL added and removed here” with smiley face
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of WWI

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CipherHistory.com/ww1.ppt
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of WWI