Tool to decrypt/encrypt with a transposition. A transposition cipher, also called columns permutation, is a technique to change the order of the letters in a text by placing it in a grid.
Transposition Cipher - dCode
Tag(s) : Transposition Cipher
dCode is free and its tools are a valuable help in games, puzzles and problems to solve every day!
You have a problem, an idea for a project, a specific need and dCode can not (yet) help you? You need custom development? Contact-me!
Sponsored ads
Tool to decrypt/encrypt with a transposition. A transposition cipher, also called columns permutation, is a technique to change the order of the letters in a text by placing it in a grid.
Transposition cipher encryption consists of writing the plaint text in an array and then arranging the columns of this array according to a defined permutation. If there are empty boxes, fill them with a neutral letter (such as X).
The permutation key is a series of numbers (which can be generated from a word) that indicates the order in which the columns are arranged.
Example: The word KEY is used to generate the permutation 2,1,3:
Before alphabetical sorting | After alphabetical sorting | |
Keyword | K,E,Y | E,K,Y |
Order of columns | 1,2,3 | 2,1,3 |
Example: Encrypt DCODE with the key KEY (permutation 2,1,3).
Columns | 1,2,3 | Columns sorted | 2,1,3 |
Plaintext | D,C,O | Ciphertext | C,D,O |
D,E,X | E,D,X |
The encrypted message consists of the table after swapping the columns in the order of the key.
Example: The encrypted message is CDOEDX
Some variants read the table in column and not by row, in this case the message encrypted with a column reading would be DDOXCE
Transposition cipher decryption is identical to encryption except that the order of the columns is changed.
Example: A permutation 2,1,3 has been used to get the message CDOEDX (read by row):
Columns | 2,1,3 | Sorted columns | 1,2,3 |
Ciphertext | C,D,O | Plaintext | D,C,O |
X,D,E | D,E,X |
Example: The plain text is DCODEX.
If the message was read in columns, first write the table by columns
Example: A permutation 2,1,3 has been used to get the message DDOXCE (read by column):
Columns | 2,1,3 | Sorted columns | 1,2,3 |
Ciphertext | C,D,O | Plaintext | D,C,O |
D,X,E | D,E,X |
Example: The plain text is DCODEX.
The message consists of the letters of the original message but in a different order.
The index of coincidence is identical to that of the one of the language of the plaintext.
It is possible to test all the permutations if the key is not too long, but the most effective method is to have or try to guess a word from the plain text and to deduce the permutations of the columns.
The transposition cipher is, along with the substitution cipher, one of the most used bricks for more elaborate ciphers. There are dozens of ciphers that use it like ADFGVX, Amsco, Double Transposition, Redefence, etc.
dCode retains ownership of the source code of the script Transposition Cipher online. Except explicit open source licence (indicated Creative Commons / free), any algorithm, applet, snippet, software (converter, solver, encryption / decryption, encoding / decoding, ciphering / deciphering, translator), or any function (convert, solve, decrypt, encrypt, decipher, cipher, decode, code, translate) written in any informatic langauge (PHP, Java, C#, Python, Javascript, Matlab, etc.) which dCode owns rights will not be given for free. To download the online Transposition Cipher script for offline use on PC, iPhone or Android, ask for price quote on contact page !