All news with #cryptography tag

Book Review: The Business of Secrets and 1970s Crypto

🔐 Fred Kinch’s memoir recounts his years selling commercial cryptographic hardware from 1969 to 1982, chronicling Datotek’s pivot from file to link encryption and the chaotic marketplace of the era. He describes regulatory battles, notably ITAR and NSA scrutiny, alongside anecdotal demonstrations of security that now seem alarmingly informal. Kinch’s stories reveal a world where vendors, customers, and even governments often accepted cryptographic strength on trust rather than proof.

Kryptos Part Four Claimed Solved Amid Auction Dispute

🧩 Two researchers say they have solved the long-elusive fourth section of Kryptos, but reached the answer through documentary research rather than cryptanalysis, finding clues in the Sanborn papers at the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art. The discovery comes as Jim Sanborn is preparing to auction what he describes as the solution, and the solvers report they will not publish their work. Legal threats have been made over disclosure and sale, though the legal basis is unclear. The episode raises immediate questions about provenance, transparency, and the ethics of selling a solution to a famous cryptographic artwork.

Sanborn Auctions Kryptos Part Four Solution at RR Auction

🔐 Jim Sanborn is auctioning the original solution to Part Four (K4) of his Kryptos sculpture, with RR Auction estimating a winning bid of $300,000–$500,000 for the lot. The sale, scheduled for Nov. 20, includes the handwritten plaintext, related papers, and a 12-by-18-inch copper proof-of-concept plate with 1,800 hand-cut letters. Sanborn hopes the buyer will preserve the secret and assume verification duties, potentially by implementing an automated review process.