MIS 578 Homework 1 – Cryptography (35 points)

Information about various methods for taking screenshots is posted in the Assignments area in the course site.
Questions 1: Explain how Caesar cipher works in a short paragraph. Must answer in your own words.
Copying from the Internet is unacceptable. (5’)

A Caesar cipher is named after Julius Caesar. It is based on monoalphabetic cipher. It is easy to
decode the message because it has weak method of cryptography. Caesar cipher is major used
between complex encryption schemes. In Caesar cipher, an alphabet in the text is shifted by a
fixed number down the alphabet. In the entire process, a short key is used. It also requires very
few computing resources.

Question 2: Explain what cryptanalysis is and how frequency analysis works in a short paragraph. Must
answer in your own words. Copying from Internet is unacceptable. (5’)

Frequency analysis breaks simple ciphers in to monoalphabetic ciphers. In this method, one
alphabet is replaced with another alphabet to produce the ciphertext. A letter is changed into
the same letter in the entire cypher.
Frequency analysis works in the basis that particular letters or combination of letters are
formed with characteristic frequency.

Question 3: Take a screenshot of the plaintext file, encryption settings, and the ciphertext file windows (3
screenshots). See the examples below. Resize the windows before and/or after taking the screenshots when
appropriate. Do not take screenshots of the entire desktop. Only capture the relevant area as shown in the
examples. (5’)
Question 4: Take a screenshot of the “Automatic Caesar Analysis” and the “Correlation of the distribution …”
windows that you obtained in step 4. (See examples below. Do not take screenshots of the entire desktop.
Only capture the relevant area as shown in the examples.) Did the frequency analysis find the correct key
(must answer in your own words)? (5’)

Two keys are possible here. If the offset value is 1, the key is ‘B’. When the offset value is 0, the key is ‘C’.
Mnvxlajcb, vnjwfqrun, fnanw’c rw j lxvyaxvrbrwp vxxm jocna fjclqrwp Anydkurljwb ojru cx anynju jwm anyujln
cqn JLJ xw cqnra orabc jccnvyc brg fnntb jpx. Cqnh onuc urtn cqn PXY qjm uxbc rcb rcb unenajpn, bjrm Jert Axh,
j lxwbnaejcren qnjucq ljan ngynac.

Question 5: Take a screenshot of the “Automatic Caesar Analysis” window in step 5. What is the encryption
key that the frequency analysis found (must answer in your own words)? (5’)
Question 6: What is the plaintext that you obtained in step 6 (copy the text from CT1 and paste it below)?
Do you think the decryption is successful? Why or why not? (5’)

Democrats, meanwhile, weren't in a compromising mood after watching Republicans fail to

repeal and replace the ACA on their first attempt six weeks ago. They felt like the GOP had lost
its its leverage, said Avik Roy, a conservative health care expert.
Above is the result from step 6. Yes, the decryption was successful. I have selected the offset
value as 1 and the key as I which was the result values from the frequency analysis.

Question 7: In general, is frequency analysis more likely to find the correct encryption key from longer
ciphertext or from shorter ciphertext? Why? Must explain your answer. (5’)

Frequently analysis is more likely to be the correct encryption key from shorter ciphertext. After
encrypting, analyzing and decrypting two different length of plain text, I have noticed that the
large text wasn’t correct.