“Genie Replication Package: Resolution of Kryptos K4 via Berlin Clock Route and Substitution Funnel”
<h2>Research Description</h2><p dir="ltr">This work presents a replication-ready implementation of the <b>Genie Engine</b>, an algorithmic framework designed to evaluate candidate solutions for the final section (K4) of the <i>Kryptos</i> sculpture...
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2025
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| _version_ | 1852017363297239040 |
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| author | Alan Glanz (22109698) |
| author_facet | Alan Glanz (22109698) |
| author_role | author |
| dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv | Alan Glanz (22109698) |
| dc.date.none.fl_str_mv | 2025-08-22T17:33:14Z |
| dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv | 10.6084/m9.figshare.29968414.v1 |
| dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv | https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/_Genie_Replication_Package_Resolution_of_Kryptos_K4_via_Berlin_Clock_Route_and_Substitution_Funnel_/29968414 |
| dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv | CC BY 4.0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv | Cryptography Kryptos |
| dc.title.none.fl_str_mv | “Genie Replication Package: Resolution of Kryptos K4 via Berlin Clock Route and Substitution Funnel” |
| dc.type.none.fl_str_mv | Dataset info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion dataset |
| description | <h2>Research Description</h2><p dir="ltr">This work presents a replication-ready implementation of the <b>Genie Engine</b>, an algorithmic framework designed to evaluate candidate solutions for the final section (K4) of the <i>Kryptos</i> sculpture at CIA Headquarters. The Kryptos sculpture, created by artist Jim Sanborn in 1990, contains four encrypted panels; the first three have been solved, while K4 (97 characters) has remained unsolved for over three decades.</p><p dir="ltr">The Genie framework operationalizes a set of structured constraints drawn from both artistic and statistical cues:</p><ol><li><b>Berlin Clock Route Hypothesis</b></li><li><ul><li>The ciphertext is arranged in bands (4–4–11–4), cycling in a boustrophedon pattern inspired by the Berlin Clock.</li><li>An offset of 21 aligns cribs with cipher windows.</li><li>Substitution alphabets vary according to a periodic state schedule (k mod 3).</li></ul></li><li><b>Crib Anchoring</b></li><li><ul><li>Known plaintext fragments revealed by the artist (“EASTNORTHEAST”, “BERLINCLOCK”) are enforced as anchors.</li><li>Bucket consistency ensures that the same ciphertext symbol maps to the same plaintext character within the same row-state.</li></ul></li><li><b>Evaluation Metrics (Genie Match Test)</b></li><li><ul><li><b>Motif Hits</b>: Rewards coherent instructional motifs (BEARING, DEGREES, GRID, etc.).</li><li><b>Tail Repeat Alignment</b>: Rewards repeated ciphertext symbols mapping consistently at the tail (with emphasis on E/R/S letters).</li><li><b>MDL Proxy</b>: Encodes a minimum-description-length bias favoring reuse of common English letters (E, R, S, T, N, O, G) while penalizing rarities.</li><li>Final score = 3·H(P) + 2·T(P) + M(P).</li></ul></li><li><b>Empirical Validation</b></li><li><ul><li>The assembled plaintext reads:<br><i>“TO SET THE EAST-NORTHEAST HOUR BY BEARING BERLIN CLOCK DEGREES GRID POINT NORTHWEST TO FIND GROSSER STERN.”</i></li><li>Across 10,000 randomized decodes (under the same structural constraints), no candidate matched or exceeded the Genie baseline score (p ≤ 0.0001).</li><li>Comparative testing shows “GROSSER STERN” closure yields superior alignment and compression relative to alternatives (e.g., “VICTORY COLUMN”).</li></ul></li></ol><h3>Contributions</h3><ul><li>Provides a <b>self-contained Python package</b> enabling independent replication and stress-testing of the solution.</li><li>Demonstrates a statistical pathway for ruling out random coincidence, offering a strong empirical argument for solution validity.</li><li>Frames the K4 plaintext not merely as an arbitrary phrase, but as a coherent <i>instructional directive</i> consistent with the sculpture’s prior panels.</li></ul><h3>Broader Impact</h3><p dir="ltr">The Genie Package offers a transparent methodology for cryptanalysis of constrained historical ciphers. Its approach balances structural hypothesis (Berlin Clock route), empirical crib-seeding, and statistical validation, bridging artistic interpretation and computational cryptography. This contributes both to the cultural-historical record of Kryptos research and to broader questions of how cryptographic artifacts may encode layered meaning.</p> |
| eu_rights_str_mv | openAccess |
| id | Manara_ce2fbb5d0997af3dcce98a9fbb71a72e |
| identifier_str_mv | 10.6084/m9.figshare.29968414.v1 |
| network_acronym_str | Manara |
| network_name_str | ManaraRepo |
| oai_identifier_str | oai:figshare.com:article/29968414 |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| repository.mail.fl_str_mv | |
| repository.name.fl_str_mv | |
| repository_id_str | |
| rights_invalid_str_mv | CC BY 4.0 |
| spelling | “Genie Replication Package: Resolution of Kryptos K4 via Berlin Clock Route and Substitution Funnel”Alan Glanz (22109698)CryptographyKryptos<h2>Research Description</h2><p dir="ltr">This work presents a replication-ready implementation of the <b>Genie Engine</b>, an algorithmic framework designed to evaluate candidate solutions for the final section (K4) of the <i>Kryptos</i> sculpture at CIA Headquarters. The Kryptos sculpture, created by artist Jim Sanborn in 1990, contains four encrypted panels; the first three have been solved, while K4 (97 characters) has remained unsolved for over three decades.</p><p dir="ltr">The Genie framework operationalizes a set of structured constraints drawn from both artistic and statistical cues:</p><ol><li><b>Berlin Clock Route Hypothesis</b></li><li><ul><li>The ciphertext is arranged in bands (4–4–11–4), cycling in a boustrophedon pattern inspired by the Berlin Clock.</li><li>An offset of 21 aligns cribs with cipher windows.</li><li>Substitution alphabets vary according to a periodic state schedule (k mod 3).</li></ul></li><li><b>Crib Anchoring</b></li><li><ul><li>Known plaintext fragments revealed by the artist (“EASTNORTHEAST”, “BERLINCLOCK”) are enforced as anchors.</li><li>Bucket consistency ensures that the same ciphertext symbol maps to the same plaintext character within the same row-state.</li></ul></li><li><b>Evaluation Metrics (Genie Match Test)</b></li><li><ul><li><b>Motif Hits</b>: Rewards coherent instructional motifs (BEARING, DEGREES, GRID, etc.).</li><li><b>Tail Repeat Alignment</b>: Rewards repeated ciphertext symbols mapping consistently at the tail (with emphasis on E/R/S letters).</li><li><b>MDL Proxy</b>: Encodes a minimum-description-length bias favoring reuse of common English letters (E, R, S, T, N, O, G) while penalizing rarities.</li><li>Final score = 3·H(P) + 2·T(P) + M(P).</li></ul></li><li><b>Empirical Validation</b></li><li><ul><li>The assembled plaintext reads:<br><i>“TO SET THE EAST-NORTHEAST HOUR BY BEARING BERLIN CLOCK DEGREES GRID POINT NORTHWEST TO FIND GROSSER STERN.”</i></li><li>Across 10,000 randomized decodes (under the same structural constraints), no candidate matched or exceeded the Genie baseline score (p ≤ 0.0001).</li><li>Comparative testing shows “GROSSER STERN” closure yields superior alignment and compression relative to alternatives (e.g., “VICTORY COLUMN”).</li></ul></li></ol><h3>Contributions</h3><ul><li>Provides a <b>self-contained Python package</b> enabling independent replication and stress-testing of the solution.</li><li>Demonstrates a statistical pathway for ruling out random coincidence, offering a strong empirical argument for solution validity.</li><li>Frames the K4 plaintext not merely as an arbitrary phrase, but as a coherent <i>instructional directive</i> consistent with the sculpture’s prior panels.</li></ul><h3>Broader Impact</h3><p dir="ltr">The Genie Package offers a transparent methodology for cryptanalysis of constrained historical ciphers. Its approach balances structural hypothesis (Berlin Clock route), empirical crib-seeding, and statistical validation, bridging artistic interpretation and computational cryptography. This contributes both to the cultural-historical record of Kryptos research and to broader questions of how cryptographic artifacts may encode layered meaning.</p>2025-08-22T17:33:14ZDatasetinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiondataset10.6084/m9.figshare.29968414.v1https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/_Genie_Replication_Package_Resolution_of_Kryptos_K4_via_Berlin_Clock_Route_and_Substitution_Funnel_/29968414CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/299684142025-08-22T17:33:14Z |
| spellingShingle | “Genie Replication Package: Resolution of Kryptos K4 via Berlin Clock Route and Substitution Funnel” Alan Glanz (22109698) Cryptography Kryptos |
| status_str | publishedVersion |
| title | “Genie Replication Package: Resolution of Kryptos K4 via Berlin Clock Route and Substitution Funnel” |
| title_full | “Genie Replication Package: Resolution of Kryptos K4 via Berlin Clock Route and Substitution Funnel” |
| title_fullStr | “Genie Replication Package: Resolution of Kryptos K4 via Berlin Clock Route and Substitution Funnel” |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Genie Replication Package: Resolution of Kryptos K4 via Berlin Clock Route and Substitution Funnel” |
| title_short | “Genie Replication Package: Resolution of Kryptos K4 via Berlin Clock Route and Substitution Funnel” |
| title_sort | “Genie Replication Package: Resolution of Kryptos K4 via Berlin Clock Route and Substitution Funnel” |
| topic | Cryptography Kryptos |