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A Comprehensive Guide to ADFGX Cipher Encryption
Understanding the Key Features, Use Cases, and Limitations of ADFGX Cipher | Karthikeyan Nagaraj
3 min readMar 30, 2023
Introduction:
- In the world of cryptography, the ADFGX cipher is a relatively uncommon yet powerful encryption technique.
- It was used by the German army in World War I to transmit sensitive information securely.
- In this article, we will explore the key features, strengths, weaknesses, and use cases of ADFGX cipher.
Key Features of ADFGX Cipher:
- ADFGX cipher is a polygraphic substitution cipher that replaces pairs of plaintext letters with corresponding pairs of ciphertext letters.
- The cipher derives its name from the use of the five-letter code: A, D, F, G, and X, which are used to rearrange the letters of the plaintext before substitution.
- The cipher also employs a transposition step to further enhance its security by rearranging the order of the ciphertext letters.
- ADFGX cipher uses a keyword as the basis for generating the code table, which is used to substitute the plaintext letters with the corresponding ciphertext letters.
- The key size of ADFGX cipher can vary from 10 to 26 letters, depending on the length of the keyword used.
Use Cases of ADFGX Cipher:
- ADFGX cipher can be used for secure communication in military and diplomatic applications.
- It can also be used to encrypt sensitive data in government, financial, and healthcare sectors.
- ADFGX cipher can be used in combination with other encryption techniques, such as RSA or AES, to provide an extra layer of security.
Strengths of ADFGX Cipher:
- ADFGX cipher provides a high level of security due to its polygraphic nature, use of transposition, and keyword-based code table generation.
- It is a relatively simple cipher, making it easy to implement and use.
- ADFGX cipher can be adapted to various key sizes, making it highly versatile and suitable…
