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GPT-6 Astra Solves a WWI German Radio Cipher

400 points · 180 comments · nsoonhui

  1. Legend2440 · · focus · HN ↗
    TL;DR: all keys are known because the list was seized after the war. However, this message was not previously decoded because the German operator mistyped the key, and also used a key from the wrong day.

    This meant that ChatGPT didn't need to brute-force the entire key, just pick the correct one from the list and identify the typo.

    A sufficiently dedicated human analyst could have done this; but they didn't.

    1. msy · · focus · HN ↗
      Isn't this just a brute forcing exercise of a (in today's terms) very small key then?
      1. red75prime · · focus · HN ↗
        Can we stop using "brute force" for designating "tour de force"?
        1. rrr_oh_man · · focus · HN ↗
          <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Brute-force_attack" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Brute-force_attack
          1. red75prime · · focus · HN ↗
            I&#x27;m aware. Locating a single probable key is exactly not that.
            1. tovej · · focus · HN ↗
              Going through a list of possibilities one by one is bruee forcing.
              1. red75prime · · focus · HN ↗
                If the final set of possibilities is astronomically smaller than a naive one, calling the whole process a &quot;brute force exercise&quot; draws attention to an astronomically insignificant part.
                1. rrr_oh_man · · focus · HN ↗
                  That’s a fair point.
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