Decipher It!: A Kid's Guide to Cryptography
By Brian Thomas
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About this ebook
Discover the exciting world of cryptography-a thrilling mix of puzzles, mystery, and creativity! This book invites kids to dive into the secretive art of codes and ciphers, teaching them how to encrypt messages, crack tricky puzzles, and explore the fascinating history of
Brian Thomas
Brian Thomas is the founder of THOMAS LAW, a Chicago based law firm engaged in the representation of individuals and families that have suffered catastrophic losses due to the conduct of others in personal injury, workers compensation, medical malpractice and wrongful death. Due to his achievements and reputation within the Chicago legal community, he was named one of Illinois top 40 attorneys under the age of 40; this honor is achieved by less than 1% of all Illinois attorneys. He has also been regularly named an Illinois Super Lawyer. In 2021, with the help of Illinois State Representative Maurice West, he drafted a law making it illegal to call the police on people of color in public spaces simply because they are people of color. He has served as a director on boards for entities involved in fair housing in Chicago and mentorship for children in underserved communities. He has also been featured as an in-studio guest on Chicago radio discussing state and local politics. Brian received his law degree from DePaul College of Law in Chicago and received his bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. He is a kidney transplant patient. The experience provided context to his life from an early age, as he has a deep understanding of the preciousness of life, good health and the importance of intentionally living a life you want to live. Brian lives in Northbrook, Illinois, with his wife and two children, where in his spare time he follows his children around in their sports and theatrical endeavors.
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Decipher It! - Brian Thomas
INTRODUCTION
At its heart, cryptography is about keeping information private. People have been fascinated by secret messages for thousands of years, and it all started with simple ideas that grew more complicated as time went on. You might be wondering, why would anyone need to use secret codes? Well, think about something personal that you’d rather keep private. Maybe it’s your favorite hiding spot during a game of tag or a diary entry about your most embarrassing moment. Cryptography takes that idea of privacy and makes it nearly impossible for anyone else to figure out your secrets.
The cool thing about cryptography is that it’s not just about hiding information—it’s about sharing it safely. Imagine being a king or queen in ancient times, and you needed to send a message to your army about an important battle plan. You couldn’t just write it down in plain words because if someone intercepted the message, your entire plan would be ruined. Instead, you’d use a code or cipher, something that scrambled the message in a way only your team could understand. This is how cryptography became such an important skill throughout history.
One of the simplest examples of cryptography is the Caesar cipher. It’s named after Julius Caesar, a Roman general who used it to send secret messages over 2,000 years ago. The idea is straightforward: you take every letter in your message and shift it a certain number of places in the alphabet. For example, if you shift every letter three places to the right, A becomes D, B becomes E, and so on. If someone sees your message, all they’ll see is a string of meaningless letters. But if they know the key
—in this case, the number three—they can easily shift the letters back and read the message.
Let’s try it out! Take the word HELLO.
Using a Caesar cipher with a shift of three, it becomes KHOOR.
Doesn’t that look mysterious? Now, imagine if you were trying to decode it without knowing the key. You’d have to test every possible shift until you figured out the correct one. This is why cryptography isn’t just about making codes—it’s also about cracking them.
Over time, people got better and better at creating more advanced ciphers. They realized that if a code was too simple, it could be cracked easily. For example, with the Caesar cipher, there are only 25 possible shifts (since shifting by 26 would bring you back to the original alphabet). That’s not very hard to figure out, especially for a determined codebreaker. To make messages harder to crack, new techniques were invented, like using multiple shifts or substituting letters with symbols or numbers.
Think about the Pigpen cipher, a type of substitution cipher that replaces letters with symbols based on a simple grid. It looks like a bunch of random lines and shapes, but once you know the key, it’s as easy to read as any other text. Then there’s the Atbash cipher, where each letter is replaced by its opposite in the alphabet—A becomes Z, B becomes Y, and so on. These ciphers might seem basic now, but in their time, they were cutting-edge technology.
What makes cryptography even more exciting is that it’s not just for secret messages—it’s a puzzle that challenges your brain. Every time you create or solve a cipher, you’re using logic, creativity, and problem-solving skills. It’s like being a detective, uncovering clues and piecing together answers. When you crack a code, it feels like solving a mystery, and there’s nothing quite as satisfying as that aha!
moment.
Cryptography has grown far beyond the simple ciphers of the past. Today, it’s used in nearly every part of our lives, even if we don’t realize it. Every time you shop online, send a text, or log into a game, cryptography is working behind the scenes to keep your information safe. Instead of shifting letters or using symbols, modern cryptography relies on complex math and computer science. But the goal is still the same: to keep secrets safe and share them securely with the right people.
As you dive into the world of cryptography, you’ll discover that it’s more than just a skill—it’s a way of thinking. You start to see patterns in everyday life, notice details others might overlook, and think about how information is shared and protected. Whether you’re writing a coded message to a friend or learning about the latest encryption methods, you’re becoming part of a tradition that has been shaping history for thousands of years.
The best part is that anyone can become a codebreaker or a code maker. You don’t need fancy tools or a supercomputer to get started. All you need is curiosity and a willingness to explore. Start with simple ciphers like Caesar or Atbash, then challenge yourself to invent your own. Share them with friends and see if they can crack the code. You might even find yourself solving puzzles faster than you ever thought possible.
Everyday uses of cryptography
Cryptography might sound like something only spies or secret agents use, but the truth is, it’s all around you. Every single day, cryptography works behind the scenes to keep things safe, secure, and private. Whether you’re sending a text to your friend, logging into your favorite video game, or even watching a movie online, cryptography is doing its job quietly in the background.
Imagine you’re sending a text to a friend. You write something like, Want to meet at the park?
and hit send. In that moment, your message doesn’t just fly through the air as plain words. Instead, your phone changes it into a secret code that only your friend’s phone can understand. This way, if someone tries to peek at the message while it’s on its way, all they’ll see is a confusing jumble of data. Once the message reaches your friend’s phone, it’s decoded and turned back into words they can read. That’s cryptography in action!
Now think about when you’re playing an online game. Maybe you’ve created a cool character with a unique username and password to log in. That password isn’t stored as-is for anyone to see. Instead, it’s transformed into a coded version, called a hash.
Even the game company doesn’t know your actual password—they only see the hash. When you log in, cryptography checks to see if your password matches the hash. If it does, you’re in! This protects your account, even if someone tries to hack into the system.
Shopping online is another great example. When you buy something from a website, you might enter your credit card number, your name, and your address. But if this information traveled across the internet without protection, anyone could steal it. Instead, cryptography scrambles it into a secret code before it’s sent to the website. Only the website’s server has the key
to decode the information and see what you’ve entered. This process is called encryption, and it’s what keeps your private details safe.
Cryptography doesn’t just protect messages and passwords; it also helps prove that something is real. Have you ever downloaded an app and noticed a little lock symbol next to the website’s name? That lock tells you the website is using a secure connection, and the app you’re downloading is verified. Without cryptography, it would be much easier for someone to trick you into downloading something harmful.
Even things you might not expect rely on cryptography. Streaming movies or listening to music online? Cryptography ensures that the video or song is only available to people who have paid for it. This stops unauthorized copies from spreading everywhere and protects the creators’ work. If you’ve ever used a gift card or a QR code, cryptography plays a role there too. It makes sure the codes can’t be copied or misused.
Have you heard of GPS, the tool that helps you figure out where you are and how to get somewhere? Cryptography is used to keep GPS signals secure. Without it, someone could easily mess with the signals and give you the wrong directions. The same goes