With a length of 28 characters, it is very likely that the numbers are written out.
We’ll just need to find the right cipher that will reveal all.
[hint]
There are only two step for this whole code.
The first one is the hardest to find, but try out all ciphers that you know!
[/hint]
As said in the hint, the first step is the hardest.
The Bifid cipher has been used recently a few times, so it is wise to add it to your list of “first things to try” sixwrytwohollandxnineeeighth
Replace the numbers for the final solve 6wry2hollandx9e8h
Code #2
Observations
Four numbers in the code points to not specifically needing a substitution cipher (atbash/rot/vig/etc), but the length hints at either a very long keyword or a keyword substitution.
[hint]
Look for meaningful words when using the different types of transpositions (Skip, Rectangle, Railfence).
[/hint]
Arrange the code in a grid of 5×4
9
5
o
t
6
w
a
l
n
y
h
i
a
l
7
g
m
i
k
b
Now reverse just the even rows (2 and 4)
9
5
o
t
6
y
n
l
a
w
h
i
a
l
7
b
k
i
m
g
Read each column from top to bottom, starting with the most left one. 9yhb5nikolaitalm6w7g
Throwing nikolaital into Google gives us the Wikipage “Matter Valley“, also known as “Nikolaital“.
We know matter is a known keyword, so pop that into our code for the solution. 9yhb5matterm6w7g
I can feel you thinking “How on earth did you figure out to only reverse those rows?!?!“.
Don’t worry, at the start I felt the same way. But with time and the right tools you will learn to notice such things, learn to real columns and rows in different ways. Practice makes perfect!
Code #3
Observations
We have an odd range of letters (a-j) and numbers (00-05) in a code with a prime number for it’s length (meaning rectangles and pairs won’t work).
But look at those letters again, notice something peculiar?
[hint]
Count them and think why would there be only so many of them.
What do you know that has such a constraint to it’s different values?
[/hint]
Looking at the ranges of the letters and numbers, we notice that if we were to substitute the letters with numbers (starting at a=0..j=9) and numbers with letters (00=a..05=f), we get a very good mixture of hex values! djg03h00g05gjgjhag02gbhdg03gbhggjgjhidfhd
becomes 396d7a6f6969706c61736d61766969783573
Now we have a code length that can be paired up 39 6d 7a 6f 69 69 70 6c 61 73 6d 61 76 69 69 78 35 73
Convert from hex to text 9mzoiiplasmaviix5s
and replace the Roman numerals with numbers for the final solution (be careful with, that v is part of the format, not the Roman numeral 😉 ) 9mzo2plasmav2x5s
Sometimes codes seem much more difficult than what they actually are.
Always remember to analyse the text, see what you have and what you don’t have and what the ranges are for what you have.
