CSC 121 MC Programming Cryptograms and Cyphers Project

Lab Assignment 2: Cryptograms and Cyphers
Due April 20th via Canvas (9:00 pm)
Copyright 2023 Dr. Peter Farrett
Cryptology is the field of information security science that encompass
cryptoanalysis/cryptograms, cyphers, and steganography. Throughout the centuries
political agents, operatives, and artists, sent secretive messages to other operatives,
military officials, diplomats, oppressed factions within the king’s realm, etc. One of the
interesting aspects of this field is the concealment of hidden information, which can be
very powerful when coupled with cryptographic algorithms. For your assignment, you
should create a mechanism that hides information in the form of a cryptogram or
cypher.
Requirements
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Step 1: Think about an encoding/decoding scheme regarding the message
you are attempting to hide.
Step 2: Illustrate how you would hide (conceal) the actual text/message.
Step 3: Illustrate this by an example capturing the Before/After state (i.e., the
secret message in terms of a representation/mapping of data).
Note: This assignment includes basic abstraction, which is a must-have concerning
computer science and software engineering.
Guidance
You have a fair amount of liberty. You can choose from several of the examples listed
below, or choose something that you have an interest. Goal: be creative and
imaginative in your approach.
Examples and References
Music and Audio
The musical example below is based on a heavy metal (famous) composition. Note the
“harmony” tri-tone (devil’s tone), mood, etc. This “cypher” consists of a 3-step process.
(The keys/rules are numerically oriented with respect to representation.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISXnYu-Or4w
Step 1: Musical composition (encoded)
Step 2: A character/numeric substitution based on an 18th century musical motif note
substitution. (The details have not been illustrated here.)
Step 3: Secret Message (encoded)
Hiding Secret Messages in Audio
https://www.instructables.com/Secret-Message-in-Audio/
Art
https://usaartnews.com/events/motion/melancholy-i-the-most-mysterious-engraving-ofalbrecht-durer-with-encrypted-secret-messages
https://youth-time.eu/secrets-and-mysteries-hidden-in-old-masterpieces-albrecht-duerer/
The Houdini Code: B.E.I.E.V.E.
http://www.geniimagazine.com/wiki/index.php/The_Houdini_Code
Encoding and Decoding Civil War Cyphers
https://www.nsa.gov/Portals/70/documents/news-features/declassifieddocuments/friedman-documents/lectures-speeches/FOLDER_177/41758759079789.pdf
http://www.myjcpl.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/4339/lesson2-ciphers.pdf
Steganography
https://www.ijcaonline.org/volume9/number7/pxc3871887.pdf
https://www.comptia.org/blog/what-is-steganography
Cryptology
Chapter 8 (Whitman)
Submission
You should submit a .zip file (Windows) if you plan to submit more than one file. This
would be in Word format (docx). Software tools are available via the CS Virtual Desktop
environment. (Review the Canvas Files folder for details if needed.) This assignment must
be submitted directly via Canvas upload.