The Badge Archive

GSUSA Cipher Puzzle

Info Needed for badge requirements: Ciphers are essential tools for maintaining the security of information. They work by transforming data into a code, making it unreadable to anyone who does not have the correct key. A cipher key, such as “shift by three,” provides the rule needed to decode the encrypted message, ensuring that only authorized individuals can access the original information. Computers use a similar process called encryption to protect sensitive details, such as names, addresses, phone numbers, and payment information, especially when making purchases or communicating online. Encryption ensures that private information remains safe and accessible only to the intended recipients.

Items Needed

  • VTK Cipher Key and Puzzles, one for each scout
  • Pens or pencils
  • Whiteboard with examples of alphabet and shift cipher codes

Understanding a Standard Cipher

  1. Pass out the Cipher Key and Puzzles, along with pens or pencils, to each scout.
  2. Scouts start by writing their name at the top of the handout and creating a short message, such as “Scouts are awesome” or “Explore the world.”
  3. Using the Cipher Key, scouts turn their message into a code where each letter corresponds to a number (e.g., A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, etc.).
  4. Once their message is coded, scouts exchange their ciphered messages with one another and use the Cipher Key to decode them.

Introducing Alphabet Shift Ciphers

  1. Show scouts an example of an alphabet shift cipher on the whiteboard. Explain how shifting letters changes the alphabet and demonstrate that each letter wraps around to create the shift (e.g., A becomes X, B becomes Y, etc.).
    • Plain: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
    • Cipher (Shifted by 3): XYZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVW
  2. Assign numbers (1–26) to the shifted cipher (e.g., X = 1, Y = 2, Z = 3, A = 4, etc.).
  3. Write the phrase “Scouts are cyber investigators” on the whiteboard. Divide the scouts into teams to translate the phrase into numbers based on the shift cipher.
  4. Scouts work together to decode the new message, which should look like:
    • Scouts: 13 24 17 12 18 21 22
    • Are: 4 21 8
    • Cyber: 6 2 5 8 21
    • Investigators: 12 17 25 8 22 23 12 10 4 23 18 21 22

Variants

Simplify It: After introducing the Alphabet Shift cipher, let scouts create one short coded message of their own to share with a friend. For example, “Be brave” could be encoded as 5 8 . 25 18 4 25 8.

Shifted Alphabet Shift Cipher Examples

Shift Cipher Reference

  • X = 1
  • Y = 2
  • Z = 3
  • A = 4
  • B = 5
  • C = 6
  • D = 7
  • E = 8
  • F = 9
  • G = 10
  • H = 11
  • I = 12
  • J = 13
  • K = 14
  • L = 15
  • M = 16
  • N = 17
  • O = 18
  • P = 19
  • Q = 20
  • R = 21
  • S = 22
  • T = 23
  • U = 24
  • V = 25
  • W = 26

Codes:

1. “Scouts are cyber investigators”
Code: 22 6 18 24 23 22 . 4 21 8 . 6 2 5 8 21 . 12 17 25 8 22 23 12 10 4 23 18 21 22

2. “Scouts are brave”
Code: 22 6 18 24 23 22 . 4 21 8 . 5 21 4 25 8

3. “For the fun of ciphers”
Code: 9 18 21 . 23 11 8 . 9 24 17 . 18 9 . 6 12 19 11 8 21 22

4. “Explore the world”
Code: 8 1 19 15 18 21 8 . 23 11 8 . 26 18 21 15 7

5. “Adventure is awesome”
Code: 4 7 25 8 17 23 24 21 8 . 12 22 . 4 26 8 22 18 16 8

–

Tia Kennard