The Black Hat Challenge

You will be sent 5 ciphertexts. Each student will recieve a unique message for each of their challenges. The messages will very in length between 580 and 600 characters. All punctuation and spaces have been stripped away. The ciphertexts will have an even length but the plaintext might have one fewer character.

Your texts will each be encrypted with a different method, and you will get one message of each type.

• Playfair, using some common english words glued together as the key, with all j's being replaced by i's.
• A Random Substitution Cipher, nuff said.
• Vigenere using a common english word of length smaller than 10 characters and larger than 5 characters.
• A Column Transposition cipher with limited padding. The number of columns is between 5 and 20 and then they are shuffled.
• Hill, using a 2x2 invertible matrix with no fixed vector.

You need to recover the plaintext message for each of your five challenges. Then write up a paragraph or more about the struggle. Enough that I might be convinced you cracked it and didn't just use someone else's code to break it.

With that said I expect that you'll use computers and tools to break these. I highly encourage n-gram analysis, wikipedia, google searching, etc. I find it very helpful to use cloud.sagemath.com which is python plus math (you'll want Zmod(26) and inverses for Hill).

To help you here is a sample plaintext and the resulting ciphertext using each of the ciphers listed above in that order:

THEREISNOROYALROADTOLEARNINGNOSHORTCUTTOTHEACQUIREMENTOFANYARTYOUCANNOTMAKEAMANBYSTANDINGASHEEPONITSHINDLEGSBUTBYSTANDINGAFLOCKOFSHEEPINTHATPOSITIONYOUCANMAKEACROWDOFMENITSMATTERWASNOTNEWTOMEBUTWASPRESENTEDINANEWASPECTITSHOOKMEINMYHABITTHEHABITOFNINETENTHSOFTHEWORLDOFBELIEVINGTHATALLWASRIGHTABOUTMEBECAUSEIWASUSEDTOITTISMISFORTUNETHATAWAKENSINGENUITYORFORTITUDEORENDURANCEINHEARTSWHERETHESEQUALITIESHADNEVERCOMETOLIFEBUTFORTHECIRCUMSTANCEWHICHGAVETHEMABEINGMISFORTUNESONECANENDURETHEYCOMEFROMOUTSIDETHEYAREACCIDENTSBUTTOSUFFERFORONESOWNFAULTSAHTHEREISTHESTINGOFLIFEALLAMANCANBETRAYISHISCONSCIENCE

OBNOFNMDATLWLRTATFOAOILTDNIMERPBATABSAOAOBFOKBGFONPNDRAERFXLTOWLCXRFERRSLCFOURDQVGOLDENDULPBNWHPDNSBKEDEOIMPCSSVVGOLDENDULIAAHHLDUWOOHNDOBLOHPGDLDREWLCXRFURHIUXTAVEAEPNDNSBURRVNOXOMDAODFVORPDHSAXOPUONPDDRFENDRFOETUHOBADLPBRWQGFNRQWKTCDLOBOWTCDLAEDNDFODDRBPAEOBOEATTIAEHDGLDWNDSLCOOLRYXOMTLKBOTCAPRSDHFHUCPDEYTUGPFEOADLLDPSDGEATOMFDOCOOLXOHIDMNDPIFMDLWLANATLDASEFATFDFSTLFQFNEQFOTOPVWOONOBDPNHCUGLLDDPCOEDDWNOHAPNOAGLIFCSADATOBFHNLXCSPOLFQOEKEKCULWDOBNPTCFNIMGNUDATASDFPTDFXUDFDEMADOWOXKRPFITAPRSAGDEFOBIWLTFOQXNEFDSBCSRVTPCAIFANATREDPPEDIUCROUTBOWOONDGOBDPLDIMAEGLIFLRRLURFQRFHDOTLXDGKEUBREUBNFFQFW

BJQZQSIENZNLOUZNOKBNUQOZESEWENIJNZBFPBBNBJQOFYPSZQMQEBNAOELOZBLNPFOEENBMOTQOMOEVLIBOEKSEWOIJQQGNESBIJSEKUQWIVPBVLIBOEKSEWOAUNFTNAIJQQGSEBJOBGNISBSNELNPFOEMOTQOFZNCKNAMQESBIMOBBQZCOIENBEQCBNMQVPBCOIGZQIQEBQKSEOEQCOIGQFBSBIJNNTMQSEMLJOVSBBJQJOVSBNAESEQBQEBJINABJQCNZUKNAVQUSQHSEWBJOBOUUCOIZSWJBOVNPBMQVQFOPIQSCOIPIQKBNSBBSIMSIANZBPEQBJOBOCOTQEISEWQEPSBLNZANZBSBPKQNZQEKPZOEFQSEJQOZBICJQZQBJQIQYPOUSBSQIJOKEQHQZFNMQBNUSAQVPBANZBJQFSZFPMIBOEFQCJSFJWOHQBJQMOVQSEWMSIANZBPEQINEQFOEQEKPZQBJQLFNMQAZNMNPBISKQBJQLOZQOFFSKQEBIVPBBNIPAAQZANZNEQINCEAOPUBIOJBJQZQSIBJQIBSEWNAUSAQOUUOMOEFOEVQBZOLSIJSIFNEIFSQEFQD

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

NOHAFNBHDAOTCDTTEWOTIHILUWITNRUTQNICWMREMEDFWEGASCOATUYTTPGIHSMMWENPEETOISEUITNTNHLEBCCENURETRAILASHLITETKDIUAPIEINTDTMBTDTGCDOATEIEIOFSAGOTORURTHEENOLOCANYELNFPAOEOSAKTNEEWTASHGTRSUEFIHATNETEFNRONHERERQNOSEEDSONFRMESMHEWVAMSMAEIAWAVERIBUDFHNEFEFCIEIDOHTCAAISCHOOAEPNHBFFEABETNSFNASAOHCHFACICSSTIAYEEANTNUMGHYOTYRMNSASAOOBTASIUNREEEHTTNTSCYSCOEHTLAITANURRANNBGETKNSUECNANLGIEEFWIDERTCTMGNSEMABOLTFBOYRCIAMAOSNEIAEABTEIHERNRBSSAUUCEIRUUHIEROYSFUSINCROGOEOANSBLNNCSTANTHTSFATUOTEORHHSERAEIEETATNASLRCERNTMYEITTFIOATOWIIYIHOHHATRKYONTEMOTVMNHUETOSEATSSTSEOANSNTKAUWTWREOINTLLOITEIODREDLEEEONODIUOHNMIN

DLVCYIDIBSQWFKWRZYSPUVDGGZYJEVFMBSWXXCSPDLSWIWSSIPSULJFANAECDFIKUWNAEVKZOCSWCORVYQOHZLXSOUFMICATGZIVSFZLUVIIADFPYQOHZLXSOUVFGCKYKJCZNMXSDLLWATWUUTLMIKUWNACOWWIQWRHCFASUGZIVCOZDVCIEDIJIQTTAUEJEXCIELYIPGOLJRUXSNACQUOMRHUVOFMCUCIYIWFTGRIVODLHARIVOFAGZQTENLJGHFADLCQBSDNFAOFKBLIXSZQMTOHJZIETOIOXPRIAQKZJEAMCEGOUMUOGURUSPVOUTMAEGUDDFZGDSMTOHIEWWUBXSEACRVOIKZXBSUTQLKDBSFWWBSJIDYIPRSWDFACCZIPDLMKEUMGKBUTMKMTHXLIVCAGSUSPKBGBADVVBSDLAMNYYCWCOHIDCQSFLCOUALDLOORIYIYJIAXWBSQLQTUQQTWYQTZLPMDSCZMSUEZKWRGWXCWUKDDLKGDGSWEOJQFWIVADZDSATUGBZXBSLMMKIGHBCEPLQIXPCZIPEGDLMKUTYJFAKBGBFKEPCOIDNAOFRNSKEGSFYYLMYYAYIDBO