Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

One of the codes may be a one-time-pad reference to a book which may no longer exist OR the ciphertext may simply be a meaningless fraud.

Another is probably written in an invented, private language.

Two others are short enough that brute force approaches will almost certainly create false positives.

In general, brute force can only work if you have some idea of what to expect the clear text to look like.




So 2 of these probably aren't even codes, just gibberish.

So what if false positives are created? We can just brute-force the analysis of those to find the right one. Are you forgetting the sheer magnitude of quantum, digital, & human-analog computing power we have available today?


I think you're forgetting to check your hubris at the door.

Given the folks who've attacked these problems, the ones that have yielded to brute force thus far: 0.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: