Breaking the M-209

Interesting paper about a German cryptanalysis machine that helped break the US M-209 mechanical ciphering machine.

The paper contains a good description of how the M-209 works.

EDITED TO ADD (7/14): M-209 simulation.

Tags: academic papers, cryptanalysis, cryptography, history of cryptography

Posted on June 25, 2024 at 7:02 AM • 16 Comments

emily's post • June 27, 2024 12:17 PM

I’m not sure whether the proposal to have a sub-event at the Burning Man festival called “Burn before Reading”, that was a crypto bake-off comparing all the mechanical systems, was ever realized.