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rcmodels · Boot Joined: 08 Aug 2010 Posts: 21 Location: MA, USA

[REAL LIFE] FBI Seeks help decrypting message

**Posted:** Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:33 pm

CarnageBlack

TBH, this is kinda cool. It would be funny if the ARG community could crack it.

**Posted:** Tue Mar 29, 2011 5:51 pm

konamouse

Saw the headline on Yahoo news this afternoon.

**Posted:** Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:58 pm

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rcmodels · Boot Joined: 08 Aug 2010 Posts: 21 Location: MA, USA

If any community can solve it, the arg community can.

**Posted:** Tue Mar 29, 2011 11:32 pm

Slyfox

I just saw this on Twitter and was about to post. Looks like you beat me to it.

**Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:52 am

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knarF

So this is actually legit?

I still find that incredibly hard to believe.

If these notes were written by the victim in his secret language that not even his family knew of, then there's pretty much no chance of getting this. He must have written a translation to his language somewhere though.

**Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:23 am

Rorschachian

It's possible...Last week I saw a video describing the coded number sequences in COD: Black Ops, and how to decode them. Maybe this same method is applicable to the notes? The Soviets called it a "one time pad" meaning to decipher the code, you had to have a certain phrase to filter the code into, so it's harder to crack than the average Caesar cipher. Turn the letters into numeral placements and it would seem to fit. If it's true, then it doesn't make a difference, seeing as we don't know if there's any book or phrase the murderer and/or victim praised.
The video I described is here: http://tinyurl.com/4olja68

**Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:15 pm

Robotguy

Wikipedia entry is up already: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_McCormick_murder_notes

Definitely seems to me to be too many repeated groups to be a straight polyalphabetic substitution (e.g. vigenere). SCBSolver hasn't had any luck with the standard Ngraph file.

**Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:47 pm

Palm

decripting clue

**Posted:** Sat Apr 02, 2011 5:29 pm

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Rorschachian

Re: decripting clue

**Posted:** Sat Apr 02, 2011 10:26 pm

Palm

Re: decripting clue

**Posted:** Sat Apr 02, 2011 11:30 pm

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Rogi Ocnorb

The standalone version (WinDecrypto) lets you parse strings by disregarding spaces in the text, altogether. It's pretty relentless in that mode; But; expect to wait a long time to see anything promising.

I tried working on this for a bit; But I'm not trusting my interpretation of the text in a lot of cases. Judging from all the different versions I see on the web, I'm not alone.
It'd be cool if the handwriting analysts at the FBI gave us their best interpretation so we'd have the cleanest version.
I think it is simple substitution that uses a variable number of letters in substitution. Single letters, bi-graphs and tri-graphs.

**Posted:** Sun Apr 03, 2011 1:16 am

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elvenkayt

Haven't been on in a while, but this one caught my eye. I didn't think it would be a code per se, but a series of short hand of some kind, since there were too many phrases repeated in certain sections, especially on page 1. I did some digging and there is one theory out there I thought I'd share.

http://www.reddit.com/r/crypto/comments/ge3sq/fbi_wants_public_help_solving_encrypted_notes/c1n4peb

These folks think that the codes are merely a way for a bipolar or schizophrenic person to remember their medication and medical history. It's easy and keeps people out of their business. I don't quite buy it all the way, but some of it does make sense.

What do y'all think?

**Posted:** Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:16 am

I Am The End Of The World · Decorated Joined: 11 Aug 2009 Posts: 188

Legit.

**Posted:** Fri Apr 08, 2011 3:40 pm

Ofiuco

Not to mention it's, you know. On fbi.gov. Unless it is tinfoil hat time.

**Posted:** Fri Apr 08, 2011 9:06 pm