Cryptanalysis is the science of 'codebreaking,' in which a person reconstructs the original plaintext message from an encrypted version. Cryptanalysis is different than simply 'decoding' or 'deciphering' a cryptogram since cryptanalysts do not have prior knowledge of the encryption or key used to encrypt and must determine these things on their own. This is no easy task. Cryptanalysts spend hours, weeks, and even months scribbling on paper, testing hypotheses, and rereading the encrypted message so many times that they're able to repeat it from memory easily. Cryptanalysis is a nerve-racking profession that consumes a person. A difficult cryptogram will sit in one's mind every second of every day and scream for constant attention until it is solved. Charles Babbage (of computer fame) said that cryptanalysis is "one of the most fascinating of arts, and I fear I have wasted upon it more time than it deserves."

NOTE: Babbage's sometimes sour views on cryptology may be influenced by his boyhood recollections of being 'thrashed' by older boys after breaking their simple codes.

Although Babbage claims that "very few ciphers are worth unraveling," the "very few" often have immense consequences. If Mary Queen of Scots had used a more secure encryption scheme cryptanalysists may not have been able to decode the many incriminating letters that led to her execution. Solution of rumrunner's codes during Prohibition led to the successful prosecution of several large organized crime groups. Pathetically simple ciphers used by the Russians during the first World War led to the German's decisive victory. Winston Churchill credited cryptanalysts of shortening World War II by several years, and in the process saving tens of thousands of lives. Cryptanalysis is one of the most important assets in the military, diplomatic, and international relations. Companies are also utilizing cryptography and (hopefully less often) cryptanalysis to secure their data and see other the competition's. For the average person, cryptanalysis will help you improve deductive skills for your future private detective career as well as teach you a good deal of patience -- and of course the newspaper cryptograms will be no challenge at all to you with a hearty understanding of cryptanalysis.

So, now that you know a bit about more about what you're getting yourself into, let's learn how to do it...