1. You are a code breaker in the Second World War and you’ve just intercepted the following
Enigma message:
C I.IV.VII ABC AAA AZ BY CP DF HI JW
BFHK RESW TIOD BPMN ICJM RVBN KRDS JSPV FABM QQXE OVF
You have advance information that this message contains three names of suspects. Luckily you
also have a time machine that allows you move to 2015 and access the Internet to break this code.
So you go to http://enigma.louisedade.co.uk/enigma.html to use an Enigma emulator.
The first line is the settings for Enigma, the first 3 letters on the second line are the daily settings,
and the rest of the second line is the message.
On the first line you can tell from the I.IV.VII part that this is an M3 Enigma (only 3 wheels). For
the rest
· The C means we set the Umkehrwalze (reflector wheel) to C.
· I.IV.VII means we set the Walzenlage (wheel order) to wheel I, IV, and VII
· We set the Ringstellung (ring setting) to ABC
· We set the Grundstellung (start position) to AAA
· On the plugboard (Steckerbrett) to match A to Z (type Z in the box under A), B to Y, C to
P, D to F, H to I and finally J to W.
Once you’ve done this, you type in the first 3 letters of the second line into the Type Letter box.
Check the Out box to see what it encodes to and use these 3 letters to replace the contents of the
Grundstellung (start position). Now we can decode the message.
Click where it says Block of Text and copy and paste the second line of the code from above (you
don’t need the first 3 letters). Click Encipher/Decipher Text and you should see the deciphered
message in the Out Box. The names are separated by X’s since there is not a space character in
Enigma.
a) [20 marks – 5 for breaking code and 15 for descriptions] Once you have the names, write a half
a page description for each person stating who they are, what their contribution to Computer
Science was, and why it was significant. Please include at least 2 references for each person. If
you cannot break the code, choose any 3 pioneers in computing and write the descriptions.
b) [5 marks] Also the head code breaker wants to check your work so he wants you to use the
same Enigma settings as in the intercepted message to code his name, ProfessorxHircock, and
submit the ciphered code as part of the assignment (you only need to submit the ciphered name,
not the settings).
2. [10 marks] Encryption and decryption played a large role in the outcome of the Second World
War. After the war and for the next few decades, encryption played little or no role in the life of
the average person. What about now? Discuss how encryption and decryption impacts upon our
lives today. Describe two examples of encryption that people interact with most every day. Please
provide references.
3. [20 marks] Computers have had a very large effect on society. Their use has helped us in many
ways and also hurt us in many ways. Select and describe the 2 most positive impacts of
computing and the 2 most negative impacts of computing. Justify your selections. Please provide
references.
It’s expected that your answer to Question 1 would be about 2 pages long, Question 2 would be
about a page long, and your answer to Question 3 would be 1.5 to 2 pages in length.
Put your submission into the appropriate dropbox on Blackboard (pdf format please).
Please be aware of plagiarism – if any part of your submission is plagiarized you will receive a 0
for the assignment. If you are not sure about plagiarism, please contact me or one of the TAs