DecipherTechnical reference

Foundations

Foundations

Ideas that show up in more than one cipher family.

Also found as basics · mathematical foundations

Ideas shared by several ciphers

Many classical ciphers reuse the same ideas: numbered alphabets, fixed replacements, repeating Keys, and grids. Once you know what those operations do, the named methods are much easier to tell apart.Friedman, Codes and Ciphers

FoundationUsed by
Alphabets and modular arithmeticCaesar, Vigenère, Beaufort, Variant Beaufort, Gronsfeld
Monoalphabetic substitutionCaesar, general simple substitution, Polybius
Periodic KeysVigenère, Beaufort, Variant Beaufort, Gronsfeld
Transpositionkeyed columnar transposition
Squares and pairsPlayfair and Polybius
Biliteral systemsBaconian

Sources

  1. William F. Friedman, Codes and Ciphers (Cryptology)