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Until the rise of powerful commodity computers, and perhaps more impor [#permalink]
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26 May 2015, 04:28
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Until the rise of powerful commodity computers, and perhaps more importantly until the development of a widespread awareness of the importance of data security and the popularization of the encryption software it requires, there was little cause for a member of the general public to possess any of the devices commonly associated with enciphering or deciphering secret communications. Such was never the case, however, for agencies tasked with national security. Hence, the waning days of the Second World War and the early days of the Cold War gave rise to a specialized class of cipher systems. Often called mnemonic ciphers, they distinguished themselves by requiring little, if any, in the way of material that would arouse suspicion, and offered extremely high levels of security, but often at the cost of inordinate amounts of time or precision to implement.
Since the province of these ciphers was intelligence, or more specifically that ultimate expression of the spy's game, the so called "humint" that thrived for four troubled decades in Europe, this set of priorities was acceptable. A spy could have no possessions that might betray his or her clandestine operations. If an agent were suspected or captured, any possessions would need to appear as innocent or explicable by means of a cover profession. Ideally, to avoid compromising message security or leaving an evidentiary trail, any key information should be memorized and never written in any documents not already destined for destruction.
From this highly specialized field came a range of mnemonic ciphers, some of the most clever ever developed, from the Soviet intelligence apparatus. This family culminated in the VIC cipher which required no fewer than thirty complex steps to secure even a brief message. Using a memorized "recipe," a Soviet agent would combine together an easily remembered date, a snippet of the lyrics of a popular song, a two-digit personal "agent number," and a five digit number made up for each message into a nearly impervious key that would scramble the text beyond the comprehension of the best Western intelligence and police agencies. Other than understanding the procedure of the cipher, which would be well practiced during training, the spy needed only to remember three individual pieces of information, two of which could be publicly verified should memory fail!
The ingeniously complex keying system with its chain addition and advanced arithmetic fed a complex pair of transposition tables that provided the real security of the cipher. The tables modified the results of a simple straddling checkerboard that served little function beyond turning the textual message into a more easily manipulated string of numerals. Once these steps were done, a communique home to Moscow or instructions back from headquarters was disguised as a long string of numbers, ready for transmission by radio, dead drop, or any other means. And while its nature as a secret communication was clear, the message contained within was as thoroughly obscured as was then possible.
1. According to the passage, which of the following was a requirement of an effective mnemonic cipher?
(A) It must require few tools or files that could give away a spy's secret operations (B) It should include written records to ensure no data is lost (C) It must require an extensive and complex process for the agent to follow (D) It should disguise the secret nature of the message as commonplace communications (E) It need not offer extremely high levels of security
2. Based on the information contained within the passage, transposition tables are most likely to be:
(A) The most effective way of securing a secret message (B) One of the components of the VIC cipher (C) A technique unique to the VIC cipher (D) One of the pieces of information memorized by a Soviet agent (E) Part of all mnemonic ciphers
3. Which of the following could most reasonably be a title for this passage?
(A) VIC: Straddling Monoalphabetic Substitution with Modified Double Transposition (B) How We Knew: Western Code Breaking Victories over the Soviet Union (C) Under the Cloak: Mnemonic Ciphers for Humint Operations (D) Digitally Secret: How Computer Ciphers are Changing the Spy Business (E) Cold Nights of Fear: Confessions of a Double Agent
Can you please explain me how you got Answers for Question 1 and Question 2 correct. I am not getting enough information to mark these answers correct. And for Question 3 i was confused between answers 2 and 3.On what basis did u mark Option 3.
Can you please explain me how you got Answers for Question 1 and Question 2 correct. I am not getting enough information to mark these answers correct. And for Question 3 i was confused between answers 2 and 3.On what basis did u mark Option 3.
It would be helpful if u help.
Thanks
Hi Shree9975,
Let me try my best here to help you with the answers.
(Q1) According to the passage, which of the following was a requirement of an effective mnemonic cipher?
(A) It must require few tools or files that could give away a spy's secret operations - Last sentence in 1st paragraph gives us this information. "Often called mnemonic ciphers, they distinguished themselves by requiring little, if any, in the way of material that would arouse suspicion". Correct !!
(B) It should include written records to ensure no data is lost -- 2nd para last line contradicts this statement -- "never written in any documents ". Wrong
(C) It must require an extensive and complex process for the agent to follow -- This choice is too extreme. Info in 3rd paragraph gives "the spy needed only to remember three individual pieces of information" and author also talks about the complexity of VIC ciphers. So it may or may not be required t be complex. MUST is an extreme word. Wrong
(D) It should disguise the secret nature of the message as commonplace communications - The last line in 4th para contradicts this statement. "while its nature as a secret communication was clear, the message contained within was as thoroughly obscured as was then possible" . Wrong
(E) It need not offer extremely high levels of security. - Last sentence in 1st para contradicts this statement. - "offered extremely high levels of security" . Wrong ---------------------------------------------------------
(Q2) Based on the information contained within the passage, transposition tables are most likely to be:
(A) The most effective way of securing a secret message -Unsupported claim actually. Nothing in the passage states that it is the most effective way. Too extreme. May be or May not be scenario. Wrong
(B) One of the components of the VIC cipher -Author talks about VIC cipher in 3rd paragraph and mentions the use of transposition tables in 4th paragraph- Correct
(C) A technique unique to the VIC cipher -Unsupported claim again. May be or may not be scenario. It is used in VIC cipher. Nothing stated that it is unique to VIC alone. Wrong
(D) One of the pieces of information memorized by a Soviet agent -Author talks about transposition tables in 4th paragraph. This choice confuses the four pieces of information(given in 3rd paragraph) that were memorized with the transposition tables. Wrong
(E) Part of all mnemonic ciphers -Unsupported claim again. May be or may not be scenario. It is used in VIC cipher. Nothing stated that it is a part of all ciphers . Wrong ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Q3) Which of the following could most reasonably be a title for this passage?
(A) VIC: Straddling Monoalphabetic Substitution with Modified Double Transposition -Very technical heading about VIC cipher . Author speaks about mnemonic ciphers in general and talks about VIC in 3rd and 4th paragraphs mostly like an example. Hence will not suit. Wrong.
(B) How We Knew: Western Code Breaking Victories over the Soviet Union - 3rd paragraph starts with " came a range of mnemonic ciphers, some of the most clever ever developed, from the Soviet intelligence apparatus" - Author actually gives an appreciation remark and discusses how secure VIC was, making this answer unlikely. Wrong
(C) Under the Cloak: Mnemonic Ciphers for Humint Operations - Gives a broad scope about mnemonic ciphers. - Correct
(D) Digitally Secret: How Computer Ciphers are Changing the Spy Business - focuses on modern ciphers, which are only discussed in one sentence in the passage. Wrong
(E) Cold Nights of Fear: Confessions of a Double Agent -Irrelevant according to me ! Wrong !
Re: Until the rise of powerful commodity computers, and perhaps more impor [#permalink]
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23 Sep 2017, 03:40
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