Marek Grajek

Breaking Teletype Ciphers in WWII: The Fish that Talked - History of Information Security Marek Grajek

The history of breaking teletype codes fills an important gap in the history of World War II, illustrating along the way the development of technology from the “Victorian Internet” to the digital civilization. The history of breaking teletype ciphers was one of the last secrets of World War II, declassified only in the 21st century. To date, there has been no summary combining the scattered threads found in the literature.

This book is a synthesis of the available knowledge on the breaking of teletype ciphers—illustrating their development, theoretical foundations, technical aspects of encryption machines and devices used to attack ciphers.  In addition, it explores the challenges faced by cryptologists on both sides of the conflict—as well as their responses to these challenges, which brought them to the threshold of building a modern digital civilization and enabled them to cross it shortly after the end of the conflict. Topics and features:·         One of the protagonists of the story described in the book said that while Enigma prevented defeat in the first phase of the war, it was Fish that secured victory in the second. The story of breaking Fish ciphers is as fascinating as that of breaking Enigma's codes, but much less well known.

·         This is the first monograph on the subject, based on materials that were only declassified in the 21st century. ·         The author combines the skills of a historian with the knowledge of a cryptologist, allowing us to look over the shoulders of World War II cryptologists and presenting their work in the context of greater history. ·         The book presents the evolution of means of communication and the protection of its confidentiality from the Crimean War to the beginnings of the Cold War.

The heroes of its final episodes laid the foundations of modern digital civilization. This unique volume is indispensable for readers interested in the history of cryptology. In addition, it will be fascinating for readers interested in the history of technology, particularly the roots of the digital civilization and the history of World War II.

Dr. Marek Grajek is a retired consultant in the field of business applications of cryptology, as well as a historian of related developments.