You might see nowadays guys on YouTube claiming that the setting "No letter encrypts to itself" was a real weakness of the Enigma machines! NO, young cuckoos! The non-self-encryption was a real strength of Enigma! You'll see below real weaknesses of the
machine.
If just one letter encrypted to itself, look how easier it would be to decipher. You only need a team of 26 experts. Expert A would deal with the scenario A encrypts to A. Expert B would deal with the scenario B encrypts to B... Expert Z would deal with
the scenario Z encrypts to Z. It is somehow easier to discover patterns.
If two letters had encrypted to themselves, it would have been even easier to decipher... significantly easier. You only need a team of 26 ^ 25 = 650 experts. Expert 1 would deal with the scenario A encrypts to A; B encrypts to B. Expert 2 would deal
with the scenario A encrypts to A, C encrypts to C... Expert 650 would deal with the scenario Y encrypts to Y, Z encrypts to Z. Axiomatics, it would be far easier to discover patterns!
If three or more letters had encrypted to themselves, encryption would have been NO MORE! And, what happens if the restriction "No letter encrypts to itself is enforced"? Well then, any number of keys could encrypt to themselves! Quite certainly,
encryption would no longer be possible!
The worst drawback: an Enigma machine could be seized by the enemy... and several Enigmas were, indeed, captured by the Western Allies, and the Polish intelligence services even before World War II. Possessing a machine meant possessing the rotors as
well, and the plugboards, and the 3 of 5 rotor arrangements schedules.
Read the full update:
•
https://saliu.com/bbs/messages/enigma-permutations.html
• The best Enigma machine code generates thousands of encryption keys, then selects permutations that do not repeat elements in the same positions as originally.
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