Code Breakers Solve the 340 Cipher by Zodiac Killer After 50 Years
FBI has confirmed that some code breakers have successfully solved the message
Almost 50 years ago, the ‘Zodiac Killer’ terrorised the entire San Francisco Bay Area after killing 5 people. Around that time, the San Francisco Chronicle received a 340-character cipher from the killer.
Now, after almost 51 years, the FBI has confirmed that some code breakers have successfully solved the message. While the identity of the zodiac killer remains a mystery, at there has been some developed in the case after half a century.
The message that the code breakers cracked was just one of the many that newspapers received while the killer was on his spree.
These code breakers belong to Australia, Belgium, and the US. Based on what the codebreakers have cracked, the message reads:
The message is clearly bone-chilling and gives us some insight into what went on in the killer’s mind.
The team of code breakers include David Oranchack – a web-designer based in Virginia, Sam Blake – an applied mathematician from Australia, and Jarl Van Eycke – a codebreaking software engineer and warehouse manager from Belgium.
Among the team, Sam Blake took the help of the other two team members, as used a Supercomputer in the University of Melbourne to decode the ‘340 cipher’. This supercomputer is called Spartan.
This message was first received by the San Francisco Chronical in 1969, on 8th November. Apparently, the Zodiac Killer had made an error in the ‘diagonal enumeration’ which allowed the team to correct it and crack the entire message.
“During the year we tested, by trial and error, around 650,000 different reading directions through the cipher. This search turned up — more or less — nothing,” Blake stated on social media.
“However, one of these searches uncovered a surprising combination of words: GAS CHAMBER. That such a macabre phase should pop up in a sea of noise warranted further attention.”
“From this fragment, David, Jarl van Eycke and I reworked the key and corrected an error Zodiac made in his diagonal enumeration of the second vertical segment of the cipher.”
“Jarl’s fantastic program, azdecrypt, was essential in this process.”
The team was first hoping that this message would bring the name of the Zodiac Killer to light. However, all the message included was taunts to the cops, with no other data. Nevertheless, the findings were sent to FBI and FBI approved the solution within 24 hours.
#Breaking – Our statement regarding the #Zodiac cipher: pic.twitter.com/cJCtlDEbMw
— FBI SanFrancisco (@FBISanFrancisco) December 11, 2020
For many people is hard to imagine that serial killers like ‘Zodiac Killer’ have existed and terrorised the real world with disturbing events. The Zodiac killer has claimed to have committed 37 murders in total, but only 7 victims have ever been confirmed by the authorities. This case is still open in four jurisdictions in California. Stay tuned for updates.
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