On November 27, 2021, The Black Vault filed a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request to have this document further reviewed. Although previously released in 2007 to an unknown FOIA requester, it was redacted heavily in many sections.

In November of 2022, The Black Vault received a much less redacted version, which is available below.

Document Archive

On Watch: Profiles from the National Security Agency’s Past 40 Years, 1984 [112 Pages, 40MB]

The post On Watch: Profiles from the National Security Agency’s Past 40 Years, 1984 first appeared on The Black Vault.

It was originally requested from the National Archives in October of 2022, and released about a week and a half later under FOIA case 23-02451.

Document Archive

History of Special Project Branch, SIS ETOUSA, aka the “BEECHNUT Report” or “Rowlett Report,” written by Col. Frank B. Rowlett [9 Pages, 1.5MB]

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The post History of Special Project Branch, SIS ETOUSA, aka the “BEECHNUT Report” or “Rowlett Report,” written by Col. Frank B. Rowlett first appeared on The Black Vault.

Cryptolog was created in 1974 and was, according to the editor, “a new vehicle for the interchange of ideas on technical subjects.” Another editor called it “a mix of technical, expository, philosophical, futuristic, argumentative and historical articles – with a light touch here and there – there’s always an article or two to engage the reader.” Issues of Cryptolog were published initially on a monthly basis, but in the final years of its publication, were released on a quarterly basis. There were no issues published in 1993 and the final issue was released in July of 1997.

The Black Vault began not only archiving the released versions first put out in 2012, but later filing Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) requests to get them further reviewed.

Below you will find the October 1981 edition, and the huge MDR request success that got much of it further declassified.

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Cryptolog (NSA Newsletter), October 1981 Edition, Released September 2020 [18 Pages, 7.5MB]

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Cryptolog (NSA Newsletter), October 1981 Edition, Released September 2020 – HIGHLIGHTED EDITION – [18 Pages, 7.5MB] – This version contains highlighted text, which discerns the newly released information after the MDR.

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Archived Versions

Cryptolog (NSA Newsletter), October 1981 Edition, Released October 2012 – This is the original release of the 1981 edition in 2012. It is archived here to represent how redacted the record originally was.

The post Cryptolog (NSA Newsletter), October 1981 Edition first appeared on The Black Vault.

Cicada 3301 is a nickname given to an organization that on three occasions has posted a set of puzzles to recruit codebreakers from the public. The first internet puzzle started on January 4, 2012 on 4chan and ran for approximately one month. A second round began one year later on January 4, 2013, and a third round following the confirmation of a fresh clue posted on Twitter on January 4, 2014. The stated intent was to recruit “intelligent individuals” by presenting a series of puzzles which were to be solved. No new puzzles were published on January 4, 2015. However, a new clue was posted on Twitter on January 5, 2016. In April 2017 a verified PGP-signed message was found: Beware false paths. Always verify PGP signature from 7A35090F. That message explicitly denies the validity of any unsigned puzzle, as recently as April 2017.

The puzzles focused heavily on data security, cryptography, steganography, internet anonymity, and surveillance.

It has been called “the most elaborate and mysterious puzzle of the internet age” and is listed as one of the “top 5 eeriest, unsolved mysteries of the internet”, and much speculation exists as to its function. Many have speculated that the puzzles are a recruitment tool for the NSA, CIA, MI6, a “Masonic conspiracy” or a cyber mercenary group. Others have claimed Cicada 3301 is an alternate reality game. No company or individual has taken credit for it or attempted to monetize it, however.

Document Archive

(Other than the NSA documents below, it should be noted that a “no records” response was given to my FOIA requests on Cicada 3301 sent to the FBI, NSA’s Intellipedia system, and the CIA.

Cicada 3301 Documents from the NSA [27 Pages, 10MB] (Note: the request date from the NSA referenced in the letter is incorrect.)

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* Thanks to Wikipedia for background information on Cicada 3301.

The post Cicada 3301 first appeared on The Black Vault.

Kryptos is an encrypted sculpture by American artist Jim Sanborn located on the grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Langley, Virginia. Since its dedication on November 3, 1990, there has been much speculation about the meaning of the encrypted messages it bears. Of the four messages, three have been solved, with the fourth remaining one of the most famous unsolved codes in the world. The sculpture continues to provide a diversion for cryptanalysts, both amateur and professional, who are attempting to decrypt the final section.

The below represents multiple FOIA requests to get documents on the sculpture declassified.

Document Archive

The National Security Agency (NSA) Documents

In the early 1990s, the NSA proposed a challenged that was taken up by a small group of cryptanalysts who wanted to decode the message on the Kryptos statue.  The documents below were the results of their research, including clues to deciphering the still unencrypted ‘fourth message.’

 The CIA Kryptos Sculpture [ 98 Pages, 2.36MB ] – This document was declassified and released to The Black Vault in September of 2014.  It took nearly 3 years to process.

 NSA Documents on Kryptos [ 60 Pages, 8.56MB ] – This was the first batch of documents released to The Black Vault by the NSA, in relation to my 2011 FOIA request.

 CIA Released Document, 9 July 2014 [ 2 Pages, 8.56MB ] – This single document was referred by the NSA to the CIA for review and release.

The Kryptos Sculpture Intellipedia Entry [ 10 Pages, 2.2MB | Released 07/2017 ]

The post The CIA’s Kryptos Statue first appeared on The Black Vault.

Disclaimer

John H. Tiltman: A Reminiscence – Summer/Fall 1982-Vol. 1, Nos. 2-3

Computer Virus Infections: Is NSA Vulnerable? – Fall 1985-Vol. 4, No. 3

The Origination and Evolution of Radio Traffic Analysis: The World War I Era – Spring 1987-Vol. 6, No. 1

What Every Cryptologist Should Know About Pearl Harbor – Summer 1987 – Vol. 6, No. 2

Influence of US Cryptologic Organizations on the Digital Computer Industry – Fall/Winter 1987-1988 Vol. 8, Nos. 3-4

Third Party Nations: Partners and Targets – Winter 1989 – Vol. 7, No. 4

Meteor Burst Communications: An Ignored Phenomenon? – Fall 1990 – Vol. 9, No. 3

Geographic Information Systems – Fall/Winter 1991 – Vol 10, Nos. 3-4

DOS/UNIX Interoperability and Email in the Agency – Spring 1992 – Vol. 11, No.1

Solving xa=b(mod c) for x and Undecimating Recursions – Winter 1992 – Vol. 11, No. 4

The First US Government Manual on Cryptography – Winter 1992 – Vol. 11, No. 4

Telephone Codes and Safe Combinations: A Deadly Duo – Spring 1993 – Vol 12, No.1

Sub-HF Search and Acquisition – – Summer 1994 – Vol.13, No2

A World War II German Army Field Cipher and How We Broke It – Winter 1995 – Vol. 14, No. 4

Guerillas in the Mist: COMINT and the Formation of Evolution of the Viet Minh, 1941-45 – Spring 1996 – Vol. 15, No. 1

Book Review: A Century of Spies: Intelligence in teh Twentieth Century – Fall 1996 – Vol. 153, No. 3

Dealing with the Future: The Limits of Forecasting – Fall 1996 – Vol. 153, No. 3

The BS Attitudes: How Things Work in Bureaucracies – Winter 1996 – Vol. 15, No. 4

The post Cryptologic Quarterly Articles first appeared on The Black Vault.

1996

Rosman Tracks on to the End
August 1996

1998

Baron Oshima’s Contributions
September 1998

2002

AFSAM-7
January – February 2002

Rear Admiral Earl Everett Stone: A Convert to Cryptologic Centralization
January – February 2002

The Central Security Service
January – February 2002

The Creation of NSA – Part 1: JOP
January – February 2002

The Creation of NSA – Part 1: AFSA
January – February 2002

The Creation of NSA – Part 1: The Brownell Committee
January – February 2002

The Effort to Create a Smokefree NSA
January – February 2002

The Korean War: The First Phase
January – February 2002

VENONA: An Overview
January – February 2002

William F. Friedman
January – February 2002

The Breaking of Geheimschreier
January-March 2003

The Necessary Invention: The Cryptologic Effort by the Philippine Guerrilla Army, 1944-1945
January-March 2003

Vint Hill Farms Station: 1942-1945 (USM-1)
January-March 2003

Days of BOURBON
January – February 2002

The World at the End of the War
January – February 2002

Three African-American Cryptologic Pioneers
January – February 2002

William Coffee
January – February 2002

Wilma Z. Davis
January – February 2002

A mission of great importance?: Recruiting Scientists and Mathematicians at NSA, circa 1960
March – April 2002

Betrayers of the Trust: Joseph Sidney Petersen
March – April 2002

Did Anyone Tell the President? Establishing the CRITICOMM System
March – April 2002

Dorothy Toplitzky Blum: A Pioneer Computer Scientist
March – April 2002

Dr. William D. Wray
March – April 2002

From Librarians to Leadership: Women at NSA
March – April 2002

Hungary, 1956: The Crisis That NSA Did Not Predict
March – April 2002

Joseph N. Wenger
March – April 2002

Madame X: Agnes in Twilight, The Last Years of the Career of Agnes Driscoll, 1941-1957
March – April 2002

Madame X: Agnes Meyer Driscoll and U.S. Naval Cryptology, 1919-1940
March – April 2002

Oscar Collins: A Successful Senior Executive
March – April 2002

SIGINT and the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley, November 1965
March – April 2002

The Last Days of the Enigma
March – April 2002

The Move to Fort Meade
March – April 2002

A Child of the Century: Washington Wong
May – June 2002

Betrayers of the Trust
May – June 2002

Francis A. Raven
May – June 2002

Hall of Honor Inductees for 2002
May – June 2002

Juanita Moody
May – June 2002

Louis W. Tordella
May – June 2002

Before Super-Computers: NSA and Computer Development
May – June 2002

Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?
May – June 2002

Ralph J. Canine
May – June 2002

The TRS Program Part I: The Beginning
May – June 2002

The TRS Program Part II: The Capture of the Pueblo
May – June 2002

Update to Martin and Mitchell Article
May – June 2002

Vietnam: A SIGINT Paradox (Part I)
May – June 2002

Vietnam: A SIGINT Paradox (Part II)
May – June 2002

Collection and Processing at NSA
July – August 2002

From Spring, into a Long Winter’s Night: The Czechoslovakian Crisis of 1968 Part One
July – August 2002

From Spring, into a Long Winter’s Night: The Czechoslovakian Crisis of 1968 Part Two
July – August 2002

Lambros D. Callimahos, Part 1
July – August 2002

Lambros D. Callimahos, Part 2
July – August 2002

Quiz
July – August 2002

KAL-007: The SIGINT Perspective
September – October 2002

A Peek Behind the Scenes: The History of History at NSA (Part 1 of 3)
September-October 2002

A Peek Behind the Scenes: Special Functions In the CCH (Part 2 of 3)
September-October 2002

A Peek Behind the Scenes: Founding of the National Cryptologic Museum (Part 3 of 3)
September-October 2002

Richard A. Day: A Telecommunications Pioneer
September – October 2002

The Soviet Union’s Invasion of Afghanistan,
25 December 1979 – October 2002

Six Decades of Second Party Relations
January – February 2002

NSA’s Field Sites
March – April 2002

A Reconsideration of the Role of SIGINT during the Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962
March – April 2002, Part 1

A Reconsideration of the Role of SIGINT during the Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962
March – April 2002, Part 2

A Reconsideration of the Role of SIGINT during the Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962
March – April 2002, Part 4

Essential for Morale of the Workforce
July – August 2002

The Formation of NSOC
July – August 2002

Nothing Left to Give Up: SIGINT and the Fall of Saigon, April 1975
July – August 2002, Part 1

Nothing Left to Give Up: SIGINT and the Fall of Saigon, April 1975
July – August 2002, Part 2

Operation Billy Budd: NSA and the U.S. Army’s Secret
July – August 2002

The Yom Kippur War of 1973 (Part One)
July – August 2002

The Yom Kippur War of 1973 (Part Two)
July – August 2002

Dining at NSA
September – October 2002

The Time of Investigations
September – October 2002, Part 1

The Time of Investigations
September – October 2002, Part 2

A Brief Look at ELINT at NSA
November – December 2002

Night of the Living Coup: The 18/19 August 1991 Coup in Moscow
November – December 2002

No Such Agency
November – December 2002

NSA’s First Inspector General
November – December 2002

The First Round: NSA’s Effort against International Terrorism in the 1970s
November – December 2002

Velva Klaessy
November – December 2002

2003

Luna 9, the First Soft Landing on the Moon
January – March 2003

The Pre-Pre-Modern Era
January – March 2003

J. Rives Childs
April – June 2003

Save the Bismarck! German Communications Intelligence Support to Operations Rheinubung May 1941
April – June 2003

SIGINT Support to the White House
April – June 2003

The Longest Search: The Story of the Twenty-one-Year Pursuit of the Soviet Deep Space Data Link
April – June 2003

The post Cryptologic Almanac 50th Anniversary Series first appeared on The Black Vault.

Declassified Documents

A History of U.S. Communications Security Volume I [94 Pages, 3.18mb]

A History of U.S. Communications Security Volume II [61 Pages, 2.37mb]

American Cryptology During the Cold War 1945-1989, Book I-IV

The Cryptology of the German Intelligence Services [38 Pages, 2.01mb]

German Clandestine Activities in South America in World War II [78 Pages, 4.80mb]

In the Shadow of War

The Origins of the National Security Agency 1940-1952 [155 Pages, 9.83mb]

Purple Dragon

Spartans in Darkness

Working Against the Tide

The post Cryptology and the United States Intelligence Community first appeared on The Black Vault.

Excerpt

INTRODUCTION: I am one of those “outsiders” I talk about so much in the later chapters of this book. I was fortunate to be brought into the National Security Agency as one of the Center for Cryptologic History’s first Scholars in Residence. I was borrowed from my university because I had spent a decade working on the history of computers at NSA’s predecessors. I even had the courage to write a book about the subject. 

That monograph was on the machines, policies, and relationships that led to the U.S. Navy’s cryptanalytic machine (computer) program in World War II. The book was also about the first major attempts to automate the American library. It had to be about both because the same people built bibliographic and cryptanalytic machines.

My study covered events in the history of the machines through the 1940s, but its focus was on the period between 1930 and 1945. An important conclusion was that the relationship between the efforts of America’s codebreakers and the emergence of the modern digital electronic computer was more complex than had been thought. The navy’s cryptanalysts were in a push-me, pull-me situation. Their work made mechanization a necessity, but the pressures of war and the refusal of the government bureaucracy to sponsor long term research and development programs prevented the navy from becoming the inventor of the modern computer.

During World War II American cryptanalysts built some of the most sophisticated electronic machines in the world, but the need to address cryptanalytic crises blocked them from creating the general-purpose digital electronic computer.

Just as my book was published, I was asked to come to the National Security Agency. One purpose of my year in residence was to see if it was possible to write a complete history of computers at the Agency. The goal was a monograph that covered the entire life of NSA and its predecessors. The thought of finally being able to see the many highly classified documents that had been withheld from me more than balanced the pledge I had to give: I had to promise to refrain from publishing without the approval of NSA’s censors.

Download the Document

Wasn’t All Magic: The Early Struggle to Automate Cryptanalysis [ 362 Pages, 49MB ]

The post Wasn’t All Magic: The Early Struggle to Automate Cryptanalysis first appeared on The Black Vault.