SONBP2
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December 2nd, 2011 at 11:51:58 PM permalink
I know a lot of you are into math problems and other code solving problems, so I thought I would pass this along. Basically, a UK Agency is seeking spies and as part of the job application you need to be able to crack the code.

Here is link to the article: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2011/12/can-you-crack-it-uk-agencys-website-seeks-new-spies/

Here is link to the crack the code website: http://canyoucrackit.co.uk/
SONBP2
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December 3rd, 2011 at 11:06:54 PM permalink
No one has any idea on how to crack this code?
odiousgambit
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December 4th, 2011 at 2:15:34 AM permalink
I guess they won't hire me, I can't make heads or tails of it.
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WizardofEngland
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December 4th, 2011 at 2:36:25 AM permalink


I started to think about the number/letter combos being co-ordinates within the grid, but there are not enough letters to use the whole grid. There are also a lot of double digit combos, which I thought might refer to specific entry within the grid, but this didnt prove usuful either.

I am trying to work out if the two grids should be treated seperately or not, if one grid is the key and the other is the look up table?

I also think the text above the window plays some part in it. I will keep at it! Could do with a change of profession.
http://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/general/10042-woes-black-sheep-game-ii/#post151727
dwheatley
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December 4th, 2011 at 5:33:50 AM permalink
Looks like a hexidecimal code. I don't have time for this, but anyone working on it could try converting the numbers. Also, I see lots of repeating text.
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Mosca
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December 4th, 2011 at 8:36:44 AM permalink
I have discovered a truly marvelous solution to this problem that the margin is too narrow to contain.
A falling knife has no handle.
dwheatley
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December 4th, 2011 at 8:47:23 AM permalink
Mosca's last theorem?
Wisdom is the quality that keeps you out of situations where you would otherwise need it
Doc
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December 4th, 2011 at 8:48:52 AM permalink
Quote: Mosca

I have discovered a truly marvelous solution to this problem that the margin is too narrow to contain.


Are you certain your post is properly fermatted?
thecesspit
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December 4th, 2011 at 10:02:26 AM permalink
Google. There's my solution.
"Then you can admire the real gambler, who has neither eaten, slept, thought nor lived, he has so smarted under the scourge of his martingale, so suffered on the rack of his desire for a coup at trente-et-quarante" - Honore de Balzac, 1829
progrocker
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December 4th, 2011 at 10:12:33 AM permalink
Quote: Mosca

I have discovered a truly marvelous solution to this problem that the margin is too narrow to contain.


Hahaha, brilliant.
Solo venimos, solo nos vamos. Y aqui nos juntamos, juntos que estamos.
ThatDonGuy
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December 6th, 2011 at 6:46:10 AM permalink
Quote: WizardofEngland


I am trying to work out if the two grids should be treated seperately or not, if one grid is the key and the other is the look up table?


My guess is no - I'm pretty sure those aren't so much "separate grids" as 16-byte rows, with a separator to break it further into 8-byte segments. (In other words, pretend that gap in the middle of each row is the same size as the gaps between the other adjacent columns.)

I wouldn't be surprised if it's a graphic image of some sort, and the word appears in the image. (The "00 01 00 00" at the top seems to indicate some sort of flag.) Try Googling the first few byes, to see if it is an ID of some sort.

(BTW, apparently the Pastebin site has the solution.)
Wizard
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December 6th, 2011 at 9:04:38 AM permalink
I think the two panels are not independent. Let's think of it as a Battleship grid, with the numbers going from left to right, and letters from top to bottom.

Note how D7 and D8 are the same in both (00). Also E5 to E8.

Also interesting how J2 to J8 in the second panel has lots of repeats: ff ff ff 41 41 41 41.

This is the kind of thing I would have spent all night on in my younger days. Still, I'll let this percolate.

Speaking of Battleship, enjoy this game.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
weaselman
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December 6th, 2011 at 11:18:37 AM permalink
It is actually a binary code of a computer program ("ef be ad de" in the second line of the right panel gives it away - it is little-endian encoding for a number 0xDEADBEEF, "dead beef", which is used by some compilers as a sentinel, "magic" value).
I am guessing, one would have to generate a binary file with these bytes, run the program and see what happens. Chances are, it won't just run (it does not look as an executable code, probably, just a compiled object), so, you'd need to disassemble it, and recompile.
I doubt, it is going to be that simple ... there are probably more puzzles to solve once you can see the code, but that's the general idea, I think ...
"When two people always agree one of them is unnecessary"
ThatDonGuy
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December 6th, 2011 at 3:02:54 PM permalink
Apparently, based on just looking at the image, you can't solve it...

Quote:

Spoiler - highlight the entire quote box to see it:
You need to copy the image (it's a PNG file), then use an editor to check the data; apparently there's a message in a comment block that you need in order to solve it.


By the way, to hide a spoiler message in a quote box, set the text color to #EEEEEE
WizardofEngland
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December 6th, 2011 at 3:48:19 PM permalink
Quote: weaselman

It is actually a binary code of a computer program ("ef be ad de" in the second line of the right panel gives it away - it is little-endian encoding for a number 0xDEADBEEF, "dead beef", which is used by some compilers as a sentinel, "magic" value).
I am guessing, one would have to generate a binary file with these bytes, run the program and see what happens. Chances are, it won't just run (it does not look as an executable code, probably, just a compiled object), so, you'd need to disassemble it, and recompile.
I doubt, it is going to be that simple ... there are probably more puzzles to solve once you can see the code, but that's the general idea, I think ...



Ok so this is not for me, if I cant have a go at it with a pencil and some paper I think its very specialist. Is it possible the deadbeef is a red herring?
http://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/general/10042-woes-black-sheep-game-ii/#post151727
WizardofEngland
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December 6th, 2011 at 3:49:49 PM permalink
Quote: ThatDonGuy

Apparently, based on just looking at the image, you can't solve it...

Quote:

Spoiler - highlight the entire quote box to see it:
You need to copy the image (it's a PNG file), then use an editor to check the data; apparently there's a message in a comment block that you need in order to solve it.


By the way, to hide a spoiler message in a quote box, set the text color to #EEEEEE



Ohhh check out the big brain on ThatDonGuy, very nice. I'll be using this in the future!

Quote:

Spoiler
Like this?


http://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/general/10042-woes-black-sheep-game-ii/#post151727
JB
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December 6th, 2011 at 3:56:38 PM permalink
This was just on Slashdot the other day (link) and videos explaining it can be found here.
Garnabby
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December 6th, 2011 at 4:02:58 PM permalink
Quote: WizardofEngland

Have a go at it with a pencil and some paper...


Maybe then, you could come up with a "better" answer? Aren't all the iq tests ultimately based on past discoveries in the basic ways of thinking?
Why bet at all, if you can be sure? Anyway, what constitutes a "good bet"? - The best slots-game in town; a sucker's edge; or some gray-area blackjack-stunts? (P.S. God doesn't even have to exist to be God.)
WizardofEngland
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December 6th, 2011 at 5:29:14 PM permalink
Quote: Garnabby

Maybe then, you could come up with a "better" answer? Aren't all the iq tests ultimately based on past discoveries in the basic ways of thinking?



Well i thought it was aimed at people with some logic solving skills, and the ability to work things out. Not people with a computer program and a time to put the kettle on for a cup of tea.

I was hoping there was some sort logic or pattern, something to actually crack. "Can you crack it" should of been changed to "do you have the software to decode this"? Are we really to believe that GCHQ are looking for software operators? Surely anyone with basic computer skills could be trainned to solve this in a matter of weeks or months. Finding someone who has a natural ability at problem solving (and I'm talking about HARD problems) is much much more difficult. As I see it now, this is impossible to solve without the software or a computer?
http://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/general/10042-woes-black-sheep-game-ii/#post151727
JB
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December 6th, 2011 at 5:33:08 PM permalink
Quote: WizardofEngland

As I see it now, this is impossible to solve without the software or a computer?


That's the way I understand it, since the first step involves entering the code into a disassembler and analyzing the assembly code.
WizardofEngland
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December 6th, 2011 at 5:50:10 PM permalink
Quote: JB

That's the way I understand it, since the first step involves entering the code into a disassembler and analyzing the assembly code.



Then I think they have missed a big oppurtunity to recruit real talent.
http://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/general/10042-woes-black-sheep-game-ii/#post151727
JB
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December 6th, 2011 at 5:51:10 PM permalink
Quote: WizardofEngland

Then I think they have missed a big oppurtunity to recruit real talent.


I think it would depend upon the kind of talent they are looking for.
WizardofEngland
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December 6th, 2011 at 6:00:35 PM permalink
Quote: JB

I think it would depend upon the kind of talent they are looking for.



It seemed they were looking code crackers or people with puzzle solving ability, not software operators.
http://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/general/10042-woes-black-sheep-game-ii/#post151727
weaselman
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December 6th, 2011 at 6:45:54 PM permalink
Quote: WizardofEngland

It seemed they were looking code crackers or people with puzzle solving ability, not software operators.


They are looking for computer hackers, programming gurus. While you are right, it is not exactly rocket science for someone with experience and skill, it is far not as trivial as you are making it sound.

You sound bitter. Just because you cannot crack something does not mean it is not a puzzle :) Traditional code cracking/pattern recognition skill has been obsolete for a while (certainly, since the RSA, but in practice, way before that).
Cyber-hacking is the 21st century equivalent of that.
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Wizard
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December 6th, 2011 at 8:25:57 PM permalink
I played the videos and now feel like a complete dunce. No wonder the NSA didn't even respond to my letters asking for a job interview.

As has been said, solving this would require advanced computer programming skills. Asking me to solve this is like asking me to beat Roger Federer in tennis.

I'm not bitter. I salute anybody who was able to solve it. Personally, something like the Eternity II puzzle is more up my alley. The kind of puzzle I like is where the object is easy to explain, but difficult to solve.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
WizardofEngland
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December 7th, 2011 at 2:08:24 AM permalink
Quote: Wizard

I played the videos and now feel like a complete dunce. No wonder the NSA didn't even respond to my letters asking for a job interview.

As has been said, solving this would require advanced computer programming skills. Asking me to solve this is like asking me to beat Roger Federer in tennis.

I'm not bitter. I salute anybody who was able to solve it. Personally, something like the Eternity II puzzle is more up my alley. The kind of puzzle I like is where the object is easy to explain, but difficult to solve.



I agree totally, at least the eternity puzzle can be solved by thinking about the problem, looking for a pattern and shear determination. I am a bit disappointed the canyoucrackit puzzle was not explained a little more, I realise part of the puzzle was how to solve it, rather than the actual method, but that doesnt seem how things would go in real life. If it was described as "can you design a computer program to crack this code" I wouldnt have given it a second look.
http://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/general/10042-woes-black-sheep-game-ii/#post151727
P90
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December 7th, 2011 at 3:52:32 AM permalink
Well, they are a cyber-security agency, so it only stands to reason they'd be looking for people with code skills.

While I didn't come near cracking the challenge, I found stage 1 pretty interesting.
That it's at least to be investigated as a piece of machine code is clear if you were ever involved with low-level code, 8+8 columns with spacers is the standard arrangement used in hex editors. Actually it being anything other than a piece of data in hex would be an element of steganography, but this was present as well.
So stage 1 is really as down-to-the-basics as it gets with a computer-related puzzle. The rest... perspiration+inspiration, I guess.
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pacomartin
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December 7th, 2011 at 9:28:32 AM permalink
Quote: Wizard

The kind of puzzle I like is where the object is easy to explain, but difficult to solve.



Like
Quiz #1) Fill in the next two letters in the sequence O T T F F S S _ _ ?
======================
Quiz #2) Given:

Image A


Image B


Image C


Image D


Which of the following four images should be "Image E"

Image #1


Image #2


Image #3


Image #4
Wizard
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December 7th, 2011 at 9:55:10 AM permalink
#1 is easy, and I PM'd my answer to prove it. I have a theory on #2, but am still looking for a better answer.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
thecesspit
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December 7th, 2011 at 10:06:48 AM permalink
B and D aren't showing up properly for me...
"Then you can admire the real gambler, who has neither eaten, slept, thought nor lived, he has so smarted under the scourge of his martingale, so suffered on the rack of his desire for a coup at trente-et-quarante" - Honore de Balzac, 1829
slyther
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December 7th, 2011 at 10:32:35 AM permalink
Even I can get #1. But that's because it was it was a puzzle in a Dungeons and Dragons solo adventure I did when I was a kid :)
charliepatrick
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January 28th, 2016 at 2:12:10 PM permalink
Sorry for posting this too late - but I guess most readers will be based in the US so ineligible. GCHQ have been running a Christmas set of puzzles where the first one is here.
http://www.gchq.gov.uk/press_and_media/news_and_features/Pages/Directors-Christmas-puzzle-2015.aspx
If you want to cheat you should be able to find the answers on-line. A google search even gives you the fifth page. However you then have to send the answers in, so people aren't being so friendly with those answers!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12125576/GCHQ-Christmas-quiz-30000-entries-not-one-perfect-answer.html
beachbumbabs
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January 28th, 2016 at 3:36:59 PM permalink
Quote: charliepatrick

Sorry for posting this too late - but I guess most readers will be based in the US so ineligible. GCHQ have been running a Christmas set of puzzles where the first one is here.
http://www.gchq.gov.uk/press_and_media/news_and_features/Pages/Directors-Christmas-puzzle-2015.aspx

If you want to cheat you should be able to find the answers on-line. A google search even gives you the fifth page. However you then have to send the answers in, so people aren't being so friendly with those answers!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12125576/GCHQ-Christmas-quiz-30000-entries-not-one-perfect-answer.html



I did the first part last month when it came out, but the picture was gibberish when completed. I didn't recognize it as a Q code, so thanks for clearing that up.
If the House lost every hand, they wouldn't deal the game.
charliepatrick
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March 24th, 2016 at 8:33:34 AM permalink
More fun, and slightly easier puzzles can be found here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-34312697 - I've only just found them, the first few seem easy but it probably gets much harder!

btw the answers to the GCHQ Christmas puzzle can be found on this page http://www.gchq.gov.uk/press_and_media/news_and_features/Pages/Director-GCHQs-Christmas-card-puzzle---how-did-you-do.aspx and downloading the PDF http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/puzzleinabucket/GCHQ_Puzzle_2015_-_Solutions.pdf
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