Cracking the Enigma

The Imitation Game was centered around a top secret British programme at Bletchely that aimed to decode encrypted German communication during the second world war. Towards the end, the cryptography team engaged by the Churchill government sought to break a German encryption device, the “Enigma”, which was believed to be one of the greatest in history.

To decode a particular German message that had been encrypted by Enigma, it had to be fed back into a similar Enigma device. Though the British were in possession of the same, they were rendered helpless by lack of knowledge as to the settings of the device. The ingenuity of the system lay in the fact that the Germans meticulously switched the settings every midnight, leaving less than 24 hours for the cryptographers to decode the day’s encrypted communication. Adding to their woes, the machine had around five rotors and ten plug board cables, giving rise to several trillion possible combinations.

Cracking the code was of paramount importance as details regarding secret convoys, U-boats in the Atlantic and surprise attacks by Germany on the Allied forces were communicated via the encrypted format afforded by Enigma.

The polish mathematician, Marian Rejewski, was the first person to achieve a major breakthrough on the Enigma, when he developed a method to crack the key of the machine once sufficient messages encrypted with the same key was collected during a time when the Engima used just 3 rotors. However, this method eventually failed when the Germans decided to change the procedure for choosing indicator settings. However, after this he went on to construct an electromechanical machine called bomba kryptologiczna (literally meaning cryptologic bomb), which attempted to brute force the key of the Enigma. The Germans later added 2 more rotors, exponentially increasing the number of possible keys and rendering brute force mostly useless.

The infamous cryptanalysis work at Bletchley Park started on 4^th September, 1939, when Britain declared war on Germany. Most of the work here, after receiving a jump-start due to the decision of Poland to share their research, was based on the principle of common words with known positions allowing identification of the key. (This is in contrast to the portrayal of the same in the movie The Imitation Game, where this realisation is the breakthrough that allows Alan Turing & Co to finally crack the Enigma.)  A British version of the bombe was designed by Alan Turing and built by Harold Keen, and was called 'Victory'. Over the next few years, over 200 such machines were built and placed in allied military bases so as to decrypt German communication effectively.

A rebuilt Victory machine, now residing at the Bletchley museum.

Due to the efforts of the entire team consisting of thousands working at Bletchley Park and because of an important mathematical input by Gordon Welchman, the Victory eventually succeeded in breaking several crucial messages transmitted over the Enigma, which later became a decisive factor in the Allied triumph over Germany in World War II.

Thus, one of the greatest encryption devices known to mankind, was broken due to the use of predictable words and repetitive communication, and set the wheels rolling for what eventually became the cyber world today.

Article written by Nivedith George and Aswin G

The Imitation Game move review

The Imitation Game Review

‘When people talk to each other, they never say what they mean.’ This is one of the many dialogues from the Andrew Hodges biography based movie Imitation Game that reflects the life of an introverted genius, of an unsung hero. A man who saved the lives of millions by cutting the war short but who himself suffered an unfair life and death.

The story unfolds in three parts, all reflecting how a man who could decipher the trickiest cryptographic conundrums in the world could not decipher the intricacies involved in living the ‘normal’ human life. The crux of the film involves the life of mathematician Alan Turing, played by the very versatile Benedict Cumberbach, who is employed by the British Intelligence to crack the Enigma, the infamous encryption device that allowed the Nazis to communicate across the continent unrestricted. The film, directed by Morten Tyldum, is however not entirely about how the world war was won by five persons hunched over their work tables in a small town northwest of London. It is also a touching story on how the various characteristics that set apart Alan Turing, the obsessive compulsive genius, from the rest of the pack resulted in him making one of the most important contributions to modern humankind, while also condemning him to suffer a cruel death as a depressed loner.

The stigma that we have against people whose sexual orientation are different from what we term ‘normal’ was much more so during the time in which the movie is set. Just being a homosexual was a crime, one punished by severe means. One of the most significant quarters from where the Imitation Game found acceptance was from the LGBT community who lauded the makers for their strong take on the subject.

While the first part of the movie shows the protagonist being bullied by children in his school, the second part snaps back to portray him at his marvelling best, breaking codes and helping his country win the war. The final leg of the movie shows the anguish of a man who is judged for being what he is made to be and consequently punished for the same.

Though the film stars a cast line of talent that includes Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leach, Charles Dance and Kiera Knightley, it is Benedict Cumberbach who steals the show completely. He is smooth and solid in his portrayal of the vulnerable Turing. Not only does he mould himself into the skin of Turing, he is convincing without a blink of effort, or so it seems. From the stammering speech typical of Alan Turing to the emotional moment when he breaks down when Joan visits him post war, Cumberbatch brings the his character to life with amazing accuracy that leave moviegoers awestruck.

The true legacy of The Imitation Game is in the strong messages it gives to all viewers. It teaches us that the circumstances of one’s birth does not define our lives, but it is the choices we make and the actions we take that does so. It teaches us to never judge a person for what he is, but rather for who he is. And above all, quoting the movie, it tells us that “It is the ones no one imagines anything of that does the things no one can imagine.”

To conclude, Imitation Game is a true masterpiece and a movie that will stand out and endure as the golden standard in the biopic genre for a long time to come. It is one truly worth adding to any movie collection.

Review by Nivedith George and Aswin G