Null cipher / skip cipher / steganographic extraction patterns
On K4 CT
In plain English: On K4 CT, using the hypothesis that some letters in the carved text are meaningless filler (nulls) inserted to disguise the real message. Every combination within the stated scope was tested (2 thousand configurations); none produced a valid solution.
This record is negative within the tested scope.
NOISE
Tier 2
How to read this record
- Verdict – ELIMINATED (ruled out within the tested scope), NOISE (nothing beyond what chance produces for a search of this size; also shown when a record stored no verdict of its own), INCONCLUSIVE (the test left candidates or options standing, or could not decide, so it does not rule the method out), INTERESTING (slightly above random, almost certainly coincidence), SIGNAL (statistically unusual, warrants investigation), or FULL MATCH (all 24 known letters correct).
- Confidence Tier – Tier 1 = mathematical proof, valid while its stated assumptions hold. Tier 2 = every possibility within the stated scope tested. Tier 3 = partially tested or sampled. Tier 4 = not yet properly tested.
- Configs Tested – How many different key/parameter combinations were tried.
- Best Score – How many of the 24 known plaintext letters the best attempt matched (out of 24). N/A means no such score could be read from this record.
- Keystream Consistency (Bean) – Whether the key values at different positions are mathematically consistent with each other. The check only holds when the known letters stay in their carved positions (no letters rearranged or removed), and the full set used here assumes the standard A to Z alphabet.
- Scope Limitations – What this elimination does not rule out.
- Configs Tested
- 2,500
- Best Score
- 0 / 24 known letters matched · low, no sign of a solution
- Confidence
- Tier 2: Exhaustive search under stated assumptions. Does not eliminate multi-layer variants.
- Date Tested
- 2026-02-27
- Script
scripts/cfm/e_cfm_03_null_extraction.py
Scope Limitations
This elimination does not rule out:
- Tests regular extraction patterns (every-Nth, Fibonacci, prime, diagonal). Does not test arbitrary context-dependent extraction rules.
Assumptions
- Regular extraction pattern
- Extracted substring is plaintext or leads to plaintext
Related Research Questions
Reproduce
PYTHONPATH=src python3 -u scripts/cfm/e_cfm_03_null_extraction.pyRequires the kryptos repo, Python 3.11+, PYTHONPATH=src. Some recent scripts may not be in the public repository yet.
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