Cicada utils

Cicada 3301 Python utilities for decryption and research purposes.

Installation

Requires Python3, preferrably on Linux or macOS but Windows should work as well.

python3 -m pip install -r ./requirements.txt
./main.py

Assumptions

There is a lot of documented material on Cicada 3301 and the currently unsolved version 2 of their rune-based encrypted "book", AKA Liber Primus or LP2 for short.

Based on the encrypted payload, I have a few assumptions:

1. The cipher encrypts entire words in some fashion (based on the word lengths and punctuation).
2. The cipher works on at least two letters at the same time (Digraphs) due to IoC tests.
3. The cipher probably treats two consecutive letters differently (e.g. like Playfair cipher does). This is a conclusion from the low distribution of doublets in the entire LP2.

Attempts made

All attempts are under the Attempts class, in main.py. Once executed, that file presents a menu dynamically based on all methods tried so far.
That's a great programmatic way of documenting all attempts.

Coding and classes

The following section includes coding and useful classes:

liber_primus.py

Contains sections in Runes, parsed dynamically from the folder liber_primus. The structure of the liber_primus folder is quite intuitive:

1. Each directory under liber_primus is taken into account (besides directories starting with a .) and is considered a section. They will be sorted alphabetically.
2. By convension, we use index_section_name where index is a 3-digit Decimal number (increasing), including preceding zeros.
3. Each such directory (section) has a section.json file, which contains the section title (if available), its transformers and pages.
4. Each transformer will be translated into an actual transformer instance (see transformers.py), and applied in the mentioned order on the runes.
5. Each page is expected to optionally have a corresponding number, as well as text (mandatory).

core.py

Contains utilities for translations, including the most important class, ProcessedText.
That class keeps a mutation of all runes while maintaining all punctuation and non-rune instances.

transformers.py

Contains Transformer classes, which transform ProcessedText instances runes by calling transform on them.

main.py

Considered to be the "main" research-based module. Just run it.

squares.py

Contains matrices found in LP in sympy.Matrix form.
Might be useful for things later such as Hill cipher attempts.

secrets.py

Contains other secrets that are not squares, such as the 2013 missing primes.

screen.py

Pretty-printing utilities.

Non-technical remarks about solved sections

• A WARNING: Message from Cicada: "do not modify the book". This might be a hint that even spacing or graphics are meaningful. Also, an example of a simple linear modification of each rune by its value (Atbash).
• WELCOME: Vigenere cipher and use of previously seen words ("DIVINITY"), alongside interrupters. As of now, only the letter "F" is used for interrupters, which is meaningful when looking for cribs, as we can assume non-F ciphertext could not have been non-F plaintext.
• SOME WISDOM: Message from Cicada: "the idea of GP-sums is important". A GP-sum is the process of taking the primes associated with each rune and summing them up to get a value for a runic word. The reference to "MOBIUS" is interesting in terms of the Mobius function. Significance to the Euler Totient function and primes, that are obviously strongly connected.
• A KOAN: Encryption methods from previously solved pages could be combined (Atbash alongside Caesar cipher in this case). Additionally, basic repeating phrases and language style could be inferred ("A COAN", "AN INSTRUCTION", the fact that Cicada prefers to write down number English names ("FOUR") rather than as a number).
• THE LOSS OF DIVINITY: More potential keys to be used: "DIVINITY", "CIRCUMFERENCE", as well as the importance of the following three words combined in some manner: "CONSUMPTION", "PRESERVATION", "ADHERENCE". Also note the numbering appears after the English number name ("TWO").
• A KOAN (2): The notion that a key could be an English word with some occurences modified ("FIRFUMFERENFE").
• AN INSTRUCTION: Currently unknown but that square matrix was used back in 2013. Minor details: "KNOW THIS" is a potential crib.
• AN END (page 64): Cribbing (guessting plaintext is "AN END") is useful, walking backwards. The decryption could be a reference to the Totient function and primes as mentioned earlier, but a Totient function on a prime is simply that prime minus 1, so maybe the Totient function still needs to be used. The hash 36367763ab73783c7af284446c59466b4cd653239a311cb7116d4618dee09a8425893dc7500b464fdaf1672d7bef5e891c6e2274568926a49fb4f45132c2a8b4 is important.
• Parable (page 65): Repeating certain potential keys like "CIRCUMFERENCE" or "INSTAR".