Reader challenge: Obfuscated messages

I'm under the impression that some people are actually reading this blog. So, for the amusement of my readers, here are some little puzzles to be solved.

Send your solutions to windyoona at gmail dot com and I'll post your name or handle under the puzzle(s) you solved!

The challenge is over now. For more problems like this, take a look at Oona's puzzle corner in PoC||GTFO 0x09.

. Almost trivial

"Wjd bwpq qbkr pgwcj qby Ewiiyouknf?
Nkhy qk hx wohp, hx iywhcpb ikx!
K towiekrp dwx! Nwggkkb! Nwggwx!"
By nbkoqgyd cj bcp ekx.

'Quwp iocggca, wjd qby pgcqbx qksyp
Dcd axoy wjd achigy cj qby uwiy;
Wgg hchpx uyoy qby ikokaksyp,
Wjd qby hkhy owqbp krqaowiy.

II. Shouldn't be very hard either

III. Might take some effort

[Image: A seemingly random pattern of black and white pixels, around a hundred thousand pixels in total, with a horizontal cut in the middle.]

IV. NSA-grade

UGYPY PCTLX ISRLF OCWZG LDAXN DMAPS LFHYR ZQFWD UGWBO ZPQUG YPYPS FRGYE PDXLD YGSYQ
DBXPQ PDPTW IGSGB PCTCD TWRFD LYCPS DFEOR ZOZPQ PGDAQ CTAGS YQDBX BSQPW SPZOB WNEWD
UGWBO GDHFZ WTUHV UBPEW WQNYF BLBAG OFESD BDYSA WSXPR ZRZWT SIFRN DELDL YRBWI RPWSP
ZOLXW PZPMD OZPQN HWQYG EWFLP WRFRD RLFNW VPBFO GWPQW UYPFI UGFEG BPDZW SAUGG WOTTR
YLSOZ RWTUB WKRLU GPSOU GBUWF GLBXL OZTWO ULBWC PYGRT RLCWE UGYHN DPVDP NDHMD ZDFZS
FMPDC DYRLB GBNLN DERDF ZUCDE LLEGP OQWUE GWUWZ POCXC DSASF AQVIX OISAR RHADG PEGFO
EOLXF ATHLD FRESS GUGXA DPWCU WXCGE DYOZP QDACF MHWBY QINRD GEGDF WOSFL FLCFP LLXIN
UGLOG WWUXI XBOZP QURPW SPWAF OCWLD XOGTX ENDEO DMRTQ GNDHM WUZUR LGFYQ WTUPA DFOGB
XEMDM GPSAX GBYCN UFALD AXASX PNDBK FRHIV AEODX DBILY HRFME INUGL OFBXW WHDNZ WZFWT
UPYPL BEWAG RFTEA VMDUG FRGBR BSACW ALTLC WILFB GDFWO QLXBK LEWUE GWUZU XMARW QDCPY
ELOZP QPBZS PTOZB ELBAG QZLXF ZUWEZ ABDYH YHDWG SDOZP QUGCD FBAZD CRZOP BMYPG WZUDP
ADFOE GGSOZ NDEQL EBHRL OZPQB HLRDB XCFOR BKQSA IXOZA WPTRE GBXCE BZPLE PBLZG SXLOB
NDUGC WBCXH DRAXA TVIYR WTSIA XZUPB ORTBN DXWEW DYFMD BERWU ZURLG FDIGP NIFOZ RPSDX
WZPOL DCDTA HDHSL ECBER IMEWC FDLDN IKYPZ OYHAR DCSAU GFLPO VALRF COEXA YLFLC FSOSA
UGFCL RHWCW QPHDE FOZPQ FOEWA XFFAV NUBLY PEMBW PLEWC FDLDC ZUOEP SYNWC SDCWI LBLEW
BEPBC XLEXO BIHSM PFIHI DQCTL RDRND MOSGA RAZLB GSOZC BEZEM NDKAF OFRSA UGLEF WOZPQ
LBQPN DXAWR TPUZW TLFUG LRWUZ URLGP ZPBDI KBCWU LEFIP BGFDY PBZML RDRTA CFMHW BYQCW
YNQSP OHYRF WXTOT GDYRF DLPBG FWGDC EOMDW EXAOZ PQUGC DLBOE YPLEP BPMGW INUGB AGEPT
PDPMW TFNWV PBETC WYILE SPXCG AFWOZ PQLBO FELEO HDUZX GFLCW OFNYF NWVPB OBOZP QNYWQ
NYFBW SVHDC IGYHO ZPQWS VXFCL DCDCD XAOXB WDNWK BELRF CPDZW VITBA GXLPY XLRHD BYRWT
OBDYA SOXLB XLOZS AUGAD FWGPL FDPFE WULEW TUGFL UGBLT CPDPT RFURG RWUOF DYXOB IHSMP
SALBQ EXHBR PWSPZ OWTOU

Update: Explanations are in another post, so this is kind of closed.

Scoreboard

IIIIIIIV
Alpak HD
Ben
Claude Vaillancourt
Denis Liliom
Hans Van Ingelgom
inquisitas
JasonD
Karim
Ken Arthur
Liwei
Miguel Lechón
Nicolas Vanderavero
Ole Andre Noss
Shaun Hey
Stefano
Steve Pordon
Tim James
Zac Watts

27 comments:

  1. Okay, I'm kinda beat for the second one. Other than believing the bit stream to be 180bps on a 1365Hz carrier, I can't seem to decipher anything. Maybe my PLL implementation is screwy or I'm way off track.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I want you know I got a hand cramp doing the second one.

      Delete
    2. It's not to be taken too seriously!

      Delete
  2. Hello Oona, I seem to be really bad at this... the first challenge looks like a subtitution cipher, but the language is not English..?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Will you be publishing solutions (later in the month)?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Please don't post it directly!

    Some of us need time. :-(

    This is really a great site!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can post it in ROT13 :D But it's still 4 weeks away...

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. Sure you did... where's your name up there? lol

      Delete
    2. Any chance we could get a hint on the last one, maybe the last week before your post? (seeing as nobody seems to have figured it out yet)

      Delete
    3. Good question, I sent my answers in. Oona, did you get my email?

      Delete
    4. No, you'll have to start all over.

      Delete
  6. Here you go: http://pastebin.com/cPH5LTGt

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Oona,
    Did you get my email with solutions? I've sent the first 2 last weekend... Maybe check the gmail spam folder. Anyway, I've posted a pastebin at http://pastebin.com/zEE6qGRX.

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I got them - I've been a bit busy and not able to respond to emails. I will read them eventually.

      Delete
  8. That last one is annoying. I keep thinking I've found something, then turns out to be nothing. I bet it's really simple too. -Phil

    ReplyDelete
  9. I had a great time trying to solve these puzzles and I'm sure I'm not the only one holding their breath for the follow-up post explaining the solutions. Don't get me wrong, it's not impatience that making me type this comment, it's lack of oxygen.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi!
    http://pastebin.com/iaszM1xC

    ReplyDelete
  11. In late '90s I stumbled upon a challenge website consisting on some 100 pages which you would have to solve to get to the next. Some had source code hints, others where simple decryption challenges. I was too young at the time to have gotten too far, but if it were still up today and I would find it, I'd do it happily. Thanks for reminding me of that!

    ReplyDelete

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