NKRYPT is a cryptography related installation outside the Questacon science exploration centre in Canberra, Australia. It was designed by Stuart Kohlhagen, and installed in March 2013 during the Centenary of Canberra. The exhibit appears to now be closed.
These pages document progress towards deciphering this work. There are many parts which have yet to be publicly solved. Other NKRYPT related pages include dkrypt.org with extensive photographs, entries on Klaus Schmeh's blog and the facebook page.
spoilers
A plaque on the wall of the forecourt near pillar H introduces the installation.
NKRYPT
Mystery beyond
Decipher the veiled meaning
Renown awaits you
From simple to hard, the key to the last
is found in all the rest.
One code within NKRYPT celebrates Canberra's Centenary.
Be first to decipher it and win a great prize.
For more information: www.questacon.edu.au
Proudly supported by Mr Eddie Kutner and Mr Leon Kemplar
NKRYPT consists of eight stainless steel pillars. Each pillar has several stenciled ciphertexts which have been lasercut out of the steel. They are lit both externally and internally.
The pillars each have a cipher at about head height, and these can all be represented as a cylinder of 26x5 symbols, which I call the 'ring' ciphers. The lower half of each of the pillars also have a cipher, varying widely in form. Across the bases of the pillars is another cipher. And the tallest pillar has a cipher in the section above the ring cipher.
I have arranged the pillars in order of fiducial spacing, which I have labelled A to H. On other websites you will find a numbering scheme; the correspondence is A=7, B=4, C=6, D=2, E=8, F=3, G=5, H=1. Pillar heights are A=1709mm, B=1887mm, C=2153mm, D=2347mm, E=2393mm, F=2379mm, G=2432mm, H=2569mm.
Above each ring cipher is a pair of triangular fiducials, one immediately above and a second at the top of the piller. They face A=south, B=north, C=north, D=south, E=east, F=west, G=east, H=west. The triangular fiducials are in pairs on the pillars, with separations of A=0mm, B=116mm, C=354mm, D=571mm, E=628mm, F=636mm, G=655mm, H=786mm.
All of the ring ciphers are traversed in labyrinthine fashion. Between each pair of rows, there is only one traversal down and up, and we think that these traversal positions represent settings for the rotor machine on pole C (A=DNOI, B=CFEC, C=FHIG, D=HWCJ, E=EFCF, F=CMBH, G=????, H=SMOU).
The end of the ring ciphers is the symbol below the fiducial (pillars A, B, D, H), or 180 degrees from that position (pillars C, E, F). They start and end on the top row (pillars A, B, C, E, F, H), or the bottom row (pillar D).
The pillars are placed on the west side of Questacon, and form a constellation as shown in this scale diagram.
35248614916353547101490974
24725391509414892533731941
14909573522681490367353636
41635353213194116435346709
81491040353180149092635377
A sequence of numbers which are latitude and longitude coordinates for locations around Canberra. The first three suburbs are Questacon locations, and the remaining suburbs are connected to Australian scientists and innovators. This was the solution to the Centenary Code challenge.
35.2742S, 149.1373E Ainslie, former location of Questacon
35.2984S, 149.1312E Parkes, Questacon National Science and Technology Centre
35.3180S, 149.0926E Deakin, Questacon Technology Learning Centre
35.3778S, 149.1040E Farrer [wheat breeding pioneer]
35.3536S, 149.0764E Chifley [streets named after scientists]
35.3461S, 149.0367E Rivett [chemist]
35.3636S, 149.0957E Mawson [Antarctic explorer]
35.2268S, 149.0519E Florey [pharmacologist and pathologist]
35.2486S, 149.1635E Hackett [streets named after scientists]
35.4710S, 149.0974E Banks [botanist]
[plaintext posted by Glenn McIntosh]
A LETTER SHIFT A CIPHER MAKES
A FAMOUS ROMANS NAME IT TAKES
B MFUUFS TIJGU B DJQIFS NBLFT
B GBNPVT SPNBOT OBNF JU UBLFT
C UJKHV QH VYQ AQW PQY ECP DTGCM
DWV QVJGT OQXGU C EQFG ECP OCMG
KRZHYHU WKHB EH VZDSSHG DERXW
D NXID PDQ FRXOG ILQG WKHP RXW
RPKR QMWJZZKRG WYMABY
INGY PZBZIE XROZA
OPK RNQV SA ENMPL
XVZIZ GBHV ERIQIF
These are various kinds of shift ciphers, Caesar cipher, shift cipher, Al-Kindi cipher, and Vigenere cipher. The last Vigenere cipher uses the keyword "VIGENERE".
A letter shift a cipher makes
a famous Roman's name it takes [Caesar]
A shift of two you now can break
but other moves a code can make [shift]
However they be swapped about
a Kufa man could find them out [Al-Kindi]
When different shifts
each letter takes
The name of which
great code awakes [Vignere]
[plaintext posted by Gregory Lloyd]
65 45 32 33 42 46 64 64 21 66 46 32 34 64 51 42 31 12 66 33 43 65 33 66 11 51
64 12 64 64 33 42 33 66 32 55 66 41 46 45 33 13 12 64 56 45 34 13 26 66 36 26
45 51 64 64 36 51 66 46 64 51 51 66 41 64 32 34 66 42 31 13 45 33 66 34 34 26
12 64 45 31 26 51 11 66 33 12 12 31 66 51 11 42 33 12 31 42 64 46 42 26 55 11
45 24 56 12 64 46 66 31 12 51 66 51 26 33 45 31 41 64 33 43 64 55 42 46 32 33
This is a Chappe semaphore system, transcribed with a number representing the angle from the centre of the glyph (45, 90, 135, 225, 270, 315).
code that flowed from gay Paris
a message plain for all to see
now demands a stronger key
improved by time in dribs and drabs
three prime examples in dark crabs
[plaintext posted by Bob Dovenberg]
AGPSHALHALIECNREWTOCTPUWS
MEOLOLOADOEEEOSAAHVHEERIP
EHNAWLSVMFNCRFICCAESRDENA
SIHVNBEEIATETAAEOTDMHEHFR
SDIETYRARNGUAPNSDPMAENIOT
AUSSOCSNACRNIEPAERURLSSRA
This is a scytale wrapped around a hexagonal baton. The plaintext refers to a message of revolt marked on the head of a slave by Histiaeus, and a scytale scroll sent to Lysander of Sparta in 404BC.
A message hid upon his slave
shown to all by closer shave
an admiral of ancient Greece
uncertain of a Persian peace
saw a code that proved much smarter
helped ensure his win for Sparta
[plaintext posted by 'skintigh']
-...-.....-.-...--..--.--..-.--..-..-..-.--.-..----.
--...------...-...-.-----.......----.-......-.--....
..-...........-.-.-.........-.......-...-...-.......
----------..---.-...-..--..-.--.-...-..--.---.-...-.
.-----..--.--..-..-.......-......--.....-.-----.-.-.
............-.-.......-.....-...-.....-.-...........
-...---..--..----..-----..-..----.--.-..-.--..-..--.
.----.-...-...-..----...-.-...-.-.-----.-...--..-...
....-.......-.........-.-.-.-.........-...-.....-...
--.-.--.....-.-..--.-.-.-.------.--.....-...----...-
---...-..--.-.....-.-----.--..-.--.-----.-.-....-...
....-.....-.-...-...........-.................-...-.
--.----..--.----..-..-.--...-..-...--.-..-----.--.-.
--....-...-......--.--...-.--...-..---......----.---
..-.-...-.-.-.-.......-.-.....-.-.-.....-...........
This is a binary code with dashes for 1 and dots for 0. Each character is a 2x3 array, with the bits low order first. The plaintext is a list of scientists and inventors, who worked on electrical telegraphy and wireless telegraphy.
Branly, Braun, Campillo, Cooke, DeMoura, Dyar, Faraday, Gauss, Henry, Hertz, Marconi, Morse, Rutherford, Schilling, Soemmering, Sturgeon, Tesla, Vail, Weber, Wheatstone [plaintext posted by Glenn McIntosh]
Rotor 1 wiring
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
UDBCFGEJHILMKTSNOPQRWXYZAV
Rotor 2 wiring
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
BZCXWHIFGLMJKVUPSQRTONEDYA
Rotor 3 wiring
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
ZADEFGCHMIJKLOPQRNWSTUVBXY
Rotor 4 wiring
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
BDFCEGIJKLSMAZNHOPQRTVXUWY
Reflector wiring
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
ZYVMLIHGFKJEDURQPOTSNCXWBA
BIOB AXQC NLPA MNXE SBNT FJLD DL
JAWS FDHD MATX EJHM PVUJ XJOM KH
These are movable rotor wheels with wiring lines between letters (analogous to an Enigma machine). The reflector wheel is fixed. Each have triangular fiducials for alignment of the start position. The advancement is done manually, with a sequence chosen by the user. It is possible that the lower ciphertext is some sort of transposition key. Here is a C++ implementation of the encryption.
[unsolved]
LUCKVERURCHSIEGINGALLMEING
IENEROLDRIMTELHEFRETHCSOBN
HTUSERKORENDENNMEINETOEWIC
NEAHCINIBESHCONRHITIMHOLFT
ZUMLEIDENHICHSIEZITTERN123
This is a pigpen cipher, with right-to-left lines upside down, and in German. The plaintext is the second quatrain from the first aria performed by the Queen of the Night in Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte". The pigpen cipher was commonly used by the Freemasons, and the opera contains rationalist Freemason motifs.
Zum Leiden bin ich auserkoren
Denn meine Tochter fehlet mir;
Durch sie ging all mein Gluck verloren
Ein Bosewicht entfloh mit ihr
Noch seh ich sie zittern.
1 2 3
I am chosen for suffering,
for my daughter is gone from me;
Through her all my happiness has been lost,
a villain fled with her
I can still see her trembling
1 2 3
[plaintext posted by Bob Dovenberg]
Conjecture, the '123' filler at the end of the plaintext might refer to: the three remaining lines of the third quatrain (Erschüttern, Beben, Streben); the three flats of the key; the three chords beginning the overture (E-flat minor, C-minor, E-flat major); the three masonic pillars (wisdom, strength, beauty); or the three veiled ladies who attend the queen of the night.
[cogs]
[unsolved]
** *· ** *· *· ** *· ** *· ** *· ·* *· *· ·* *· *· *· ·* ·* ·* ** *· ·* *· **
** ·* ·* ·* ·· ·* ·* *· ·· ·* ·· *· *· ·· *· ** ·* ** ** *· *· ** ** ** ·* ·*
·· ·· *· ·· ·· ·· *· ·· ·· *· ·· ·· *· ·· *· ·· *· *· *· *· ·· ·· ·· *· ·· ··
*· ·* ·· ·* ·· ·* ·· ·· ·* ·* ·* ·· ·* ·* ·· ·* ·* ·* ·* ·· ·* ** ·· ·· ·* ··
** ·* ·· ** *· ** ·* *· ·* *· *· ·· ·· ** ·· ·* *· ** ·* *· ·* ·· ·* ** ** ·*
*· ·* ·* ·* ·* ·* ** ** ·* ·* ** ·* ·* ·* ·* ** ·* *· *· ·* *· ·* ·* ·* *· *·
*· ·* *· *· *· *· ** ** *· *· *· *· *· *· *· ·* ·* ·* ·* ·* ** ** ** *· ·* ·*
·* *· ** ·* ** ·* ·* ·· ** *· ·· ** *· ·* ** *· *· ** ** *· ·* ** ** ·· *· **
·· ·· ·· ·· ·· ·· *· ·· ·· ·· ·· *· ·· ·· *· *· ·· *· *· ·· *· ·· *· ** ·· *·
·* ·* ·* ·* ·* ·· ·* ·· ·* ·· ·· ·* ·· ·· ·· ·· ·* ·* ·· ·* ·* ·* ·· ·· ·· ··
** *· ** *· *· ·* ** ** ** *· ** *· ·· ·* ·· ·* *· ·* ·* ** ·· ** ·· *· *· **
*· ** *· ** ·* *· ** ** ·* ·* ** ** ** ** ·* ** ·* ** *· *· ·* ·* ·* ** ·* ·*
·* *· *· *· ·* ** ·· *· ** *· ·* ** *· ·* *· *· *· *· *· *· *· ** *· *· *· ·*
** ·* ** ·· *· ·* ** ·* *· ·· *· ·* ·· *· *· ·· *· *· ·* ·· ** ** ** ·* ·· **
·* *· *· *· *· ·· *· *· ·· ·· *· ·· ·· ·· *· ·· *· *· *· ** *· ·· *· ·· ·· *·
This is a Braille cipher. Lines traversed right-to-left are upside down.
A short-sighted general with buses to park [Napoleon?]
an old French Barber sitting quite in the dark [Barbier]
Tip of a finger, glide of a snail [Braille]
all our great works on the head of a nail.
[plaintext posted by Bob Dovenberg]
The lower cipher is a rail fence cipher.
A simple code to hide your tails
it's letters nailed to different rails [rail fence cipher]
A famous scholar from times past
with copper discs encoded fast [Alberti]
A German monk with codes so strong
used keys to shift the cipher on [Trithemius]
A family down the mountainside
a cabinet noir they worked inside [Rossignol]
[plaintext posted by Matthew Bienik]
AGGTAGTTGCTC*AAGCGTGCTAGCT
TCCATCAACGAG TTCGCACGATCGA
GGGTACGGTCCACCAGGAGGCATACT
CCCATGCCAGGTGGTCCTCCGTATGA
CCCTGTGCGTAAACCGTCTGATGACC
GGGACACGCATTTGGCAGACTACTGG
AAGGCACACGGCCGCTCATACGGTAG
TTCCGTGTGCCGGCGAGTATGCCATC
GTTAGTTACCTTGCGTGCTCTCGGCC
CAATCAATGGAACGCACGAGAGCCGG
These group in 3-letter codons for proteinogenic amino acids. The amino acids each have a 1 letter code.
TTC GCA CGA TCG ATC GGT CAT ACG GAG GAC CTG GCA GAC TAC TGG GAG ATG GCA TAC TCG CCG GCA TGG AAC GCA CGA GAG CCG GCA ATC AAC ACG GAG GAC ACG CAT TAC CTG GCA TGC ATC AAC GAG
F A R S I G H T E D L A D Y W E M A Y S P A W N A R E P A I N T E D T H Y L A C I N E
far sighted lady
we may spawn
a repainted thylacine
[plaintext posted by Bob Dovenberg]
Conjecture, the plaintext may refer to the Australian conservation geneticist Karen Firestone, who worked on the Australian Museum project to recover thylacine DNA.
The astroids are in 42 columns spaced around 22mm apart and with irregular vertical spacing. Each astroid is around 15mm across. They are the shape of the Unicode black four-pointed star (U+2726).
[unsolved]
Conjecture, they may represent light spectra (eg from stars or elements).
01110011011101021231331012
02030013322303333000200032
21221133103032320102000132
23123002121223001301131123
10103100010101201201221103
30212131033000203011112330
30101111212032132012210133
13303323023120222333322012
00000101022001203231310031
30110333202120112302112123
[unsolved]
These 'squircles', have an appearance like petals or cams. Conjecture, is that they are grouped in vertical pairs to give the standard 26x5 labyrinth grid.
UWGHTLIYCOEYDY
RFKVOACMHPUCEAL
BANYUJHEESHABPS
NAYIDQGILTIVKTE
FAESOKTMZQDMRGH
HYLHNICNLBNWWXX
KGAPYHIIQHSKETZ
RRENUCMTVUINLZR
ICYRFFGTKDNBQSH
NLXZWKMVCICTCDD
ZAOWRSUNVMDOIXG
ZCCFCUEAKAKFSMP
YRHUUTMCYSSMPFG
TUCIESREQXAICHL
LYVBKNNZVBPKNQA
EXQSHOSGVZDHDFM
HYPHCUDQTMWVNEK
NGACBGTSACXEHRE
DUUHNQVDATWTIEK
ZRFHTOFRUPTKHNP
XYNFBBHWPVSSKIN
NOHYWLJQZKWRSQO
UIEEQKYEMPRQEDM
IVSVAPNGKDVPQME
XGCIOAVXVIGTPIQ
ORDQRJEKWFPVWZP
ECYNYRCGWWIFCYX
GVLGPLBSJGMIJCX
RHYEOHHWTXOAGYS
FSDOZGZJGNPTRUA
ESTRPYFTJVZQHOP
EQLOQRGPHPKEDEI
IQHCZYWPJZKAZQA
KSKMIPLDRGCWCAD
GZCDBB
This consists of 515 characters, split into lines mostly of 15 characters which are spaced and offset so they appear like the plane projection of a double helix. The start of each line is a sine wave with a frequency of about 0.75 radians per line, with the ending of each line lagging by a quarter circle.
[unsolved]
…
ALABYRINTHSTANDSBEHATAWAIT
EHTHGUORHTPEOYEROFTSAMGINE
ATONEBYONESTUATHEYCREATETH
IEFOENOTUBSIDNSNRETTRAMTHG
ETWISTSANDTURNSFORPAKALLTH
A labyrinth stands before you
and is but one of eight
Mark all the twists and turns
for patterns they create
That one by one step through
the enigmas that await
[plaintext posted by Glenn McIntosh]
N
K
R
Y
P
T
NKRYPT
Above the ring cipher is another cipher of 26x10 letters, and the letters 'P', 'V', and 'L' are in a larger font.
OXPUWAOEKZVCRLUYFMLXTPNATW
VGZTCGVGDAAXFDKOCRFRUOKAPW
LCMPTFPBTYXRSZKKQUBJAMHYUL
MZVSXXZHDLYHOKWWEJUXLXKRZU
PPESLBOEKOGRTAYDFOHRHVMPBN
DTEZBTYDXNMPXHVNKCIYEMJFVE
MNKDIQBOSUFFFWBVDNKHRTLIMZ
WRRQUFNNBGKUWNQCHDEFSTZZRQ
UIUDPTKGATPSJIFXXGGSNTWJLA
BRYVUCSBNPYAVSTTONZFWIUUNW
[unsolved]
Conjecture, this is perhaps the conclusion of the eight ring ciphers, and may require the information from those other ciphers to decode, for example the labyrinth alignment codes.
A 10/11 9/11 9/12 13/17 28/29 15/17 11/12 11/12 11/13 20/24 9/13 11/11 7/9.3 11/11 14/17
B 10/10 9/12 11/13 15/17 28/30 17/18 11/12 8/10 14/15 22/24 12/13 11/12 7/10 8/11 14/17
C 10/10 11/12 11/13 14/15 30/30 17/18 12/12 8/10 14/14 19/22 12/12 11/13 7/7 8/8 14/17
D 10/11 9/14 12/13 15/17 28/30 17/17 11/11 8/12 13/15 22/24 9/13 11/11 9.3/10 8/11 14/17
E 10/11 12/14 11/13 15/22 28/30 16/17 11/13 8/10 12/15 22/22 10/13 11/13 9/10 8/8 16/17
F 10/12 12/14 11/12 14/15 28/30 16/17 11/11 8/10 10/15 19/24 9/12 11/13 9/9.3 8/8 14/17
G 11/12 9/12 11/13 15/17 28/30 17/18 11/11 10/12 13/14 19/24 12/13 11/12 7/9.3 8/11 14/17
H 10/12 11/12 11/11 14/17 30/30 16/18 11/12 10/10 10/14 19/24 12/12 12/13 7/9 8/11 14/14
These appear to represent repeat counts from 15 autosomal-STR loci of DNA, used as forensic 'fingerprints' for human individuals. These are loci measured by systems such as the Powerplex 16 HS. The order is alphabetic (CSF1PO, D13S317, D16S539, D18S51, D21S11, D3S1358, D5S818, D7S820, D8S1179, FGA, PENTAD, PENTAE, TH01, TPOX, VWA). The genotypes here are similar, and probably from a European/Asian population group.
[unsolved]
Conjecture, is that these are genetic relationships. If so, the possible filial connections are A-D, B-C, B-D, B-E, B-H, C-H, D-E, D-F, D-G, F-H, G-H. If we require both parents, then the possible parental connections are AE-D, HD-F, HD-G, and either HD-B or HB-C.
On the opening day, Senator Kate Lundy tweeted a message which had been encoded using the rotor cipher. A photograph taken then shows a rotor setting of CYWE.
HDXJNFJXZJEZTHDBMMWQZJTUROGOUCRFRUOHHZMLQPMBKUYKKCRNKDLNDLXJNIDIHJIHQKWDPCI
With a rotor setting of "SWYQ" (which is rot13 of "FJLD"), the last sixteen letters decode to "thecentenarycode".
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????thecentenarycode [unsolved]
