The government recently announced that they are banning us from sending secret messages, or even using encryption software to keep our information confidential.
As usual, the politicians show that they do not understand how computers and the internet work. It is simply impossible for them to limit our right to freedom of speech, or to stop us encrypting our ideas to hide them from government snooping.
Our team has written a very simple program we call Enigma, after the World War 2 encryption machine used by the Nazis that the Brits cracked.
Our Enigma is impossible to crack because we use a system called a “One Time Pad” encryption key. Both people exchanging messages must have the same encryption key to encrypt and decrypt a message.
Before explaining how to use Enigma, you might find this video about the original Enigma machine very interesting:
Download Your Copy of Enigma
We are making Enigma available for anyone who wishes to use it. Download it here:
Get your Enigma Encryption Machine
Save the program and operate from only a USB stick.
DO NOT SAVE ANYTHING TO YOUR COMPUTER HARD DRIVE.
It does not work on Mac or Apple computers.
Whenever you have sensitive information you want to encrypt and then email your message to someone, just follow these steps:
- Creating your one-time encryption key: The sender and receiver need to agree on a document, article or book to use to create a one-time encryption key. For example, you can both agree beforehand by phone, or text message to use an article on a website.
- Then select the page (if using a book), the paragraph down the page, the line number within the paragraph, and the words you choose as the one-time password.
- For example, if you choose this article: https://cirnow.com.au/the-fabians-history/ you could choose Paragraph 3, Line 1, Words into the text 3 (book)-7 (Clothing”)-10 (McGrath)
- Then enter the words in the password field exactly as they are written, without any spaces, like this: bookClothing”McGrath. Although you can choose any combination of words, it’s a good idea to choose words with punctuation and a mix of capital and small letters as well, as this produces a much stronger encryption key.
- After you encrypt your message, then all you do is copy the encrypted text into an email, with the Subject line giving the password key, like this: P3;L1,W3-7-10. Once you get used to this convenetion you can even eliminate the letters and use 3;1,3-7-10 using punctuation to show the order.
- Or, you could simply exchange a list of complex passwords using Proton Mail and refer to that list instead. For example, you could create a list like this and enter the key word (e.g. KRYPTON), but NOT the password, into the Subject line instead:
- KRYPTON: ksZ1kUvz&v4
- BASEBALL: Sumx*3uuwZ
- ICECREAM: s9#aqPCm5nx
How to Encrypt and Decrypt messages:
Making sure you have turned off the internet, insert your USB stick with Enigma on it into a USB port on your computer, and double click Enigma_PRO_Machine.exe to start the encryption program. It will look like this:
You are ready to start typing your message into the SOURCE field.
Then copy the password you have created and paste it into the password field. We have put gobbleygook in the password field, but use whatever you have both agreed on as described above:
Click on the Encrypt button. This will create code in the result field, like this:
Now, copy the entire encrypted message like this:
—START-ENIGMA-MESSAGE—
Md=&lx!h?RBAel&5w07kVNLV0ZQWy_yunT2,@s9 1"WO?)hxfmk?TAUw8h6~_UhGLGJ9KJHWniviK,8 $^o/H~v=- DhAh=#Qq@Mg!1~3ZBeq%dgoDYnbTT
n3@(@^y/VJdxC@D)Q-vw%0hq097V_L_qHJI3tsQ bL)1$d^"K-v=kj kp’USMY9j41/YV~lJJTdIS
qFoZ)&.1$p’!m-= &^_DtATAUR7w5w:Um~6GZ.t
Sb:(J)/`2lD3w
—-END-ENIGMA-MESSAGE—-
Paste the message into an email and send your message, and add the key into the Subject line. The only person who will be able to read it is the other person holding the encryption password you have both agreed on in advance.
No one else will be able to crack this encryption without the key, so never tell anyone else what document you used to create the password key.
To Decrypt a message:
All you do to decrypt a message is to reverse the process. Paste the encrypted message in the SOURCE field, use the password sent to you in the Subject line. Click on the Decrypt button. Your message will appear in plain text in the result field, like this:
That’s it. Easy isn’t it?
