|
 |
Level I challenges are similar to crossword puzzles from newspapers and can be solved with little cryptographic background. You don't need a computer for solving level I challenges - all you need is a bit of clever thinking and probably a pen and paper. A tool like CrypTool can help reveal the answer to a level I challenge within minutes or even seconds, because the necessary algorithms are already built in. Hence, if you are new to cryptography, but nonetheless interested in the mysterious topic of cryptanalysis, give the level I challenges a try. You will almost assuredly meet quickly with success. |
|
 |
Level II challenges require some background knowledge in cryptology and usually some computational power. Additionally, you may require tools that are not available in a convenient package like CrypTool. Therefore, you must first thoroughly understand the problem and then you may need to write a complex computer program, which might not be a straightforward implementation. In could take hours or even days to solve a level II challenge. Hence, if you consider yourself well-armed with cryptologic knowledge (such as if you are a university student in a cryptographic course), give the level II challenges a try. Success may not come easily, but it will be a worthwhile endeavor. |
|
 |
Level III challenges require a thorough background in cryptanalysis and usually significant computational power as well. The problems in this level represent current research topics that are believed to be very difficult to solve. Thus, practical solutions may not even exist and ready-to-run tools almost certainly do not. The methodology to solve some of these challenges may already be known, but it may require such a huge amount of computational power that only a large group of people working together in a distributed system could obtain the solution. Challenges in this category mark the thin line between algorithms that are still secure and those that are not. Solving them may take weeks or even several months. Hence, challenges in this level are intended for entire research groups with many experts in cryptanalysis, programming, and distributed systems. Success cannot be guaranteed, but if you are the first to successfully solve one of these challenges, it would certainly catch the attention of the scientific community. Of course, it still remains up to you to publish or present any such scientific techniques and results. |
|
 |
Level X challenges require a thorough background in cryptanalysis and a solution would most likely constitute a breakthrough in the field. The problems categorized in this level are cryptographic ciphers that are still today unsolved. The fact that they remain unsolved today, despite the attempts of many cryptographers, suggests that these are highly difficult research problems. However, a simple idea may make some of them as easy as a level I challenge - it is simply not known to the current research community if and how these kinds of problems are solvable. Clearly, you cannot prove with a codeword that you solved one of these challenges since we (i.e., the MTC3 team) also do not know the plaintext contents of the original messages. Therefore, if you do find a promising solution, you should contact either the author of the challenge or the MTC3 team. Additionally, you should publish your findings in a famous scientific journal such as Cryptologia. Hence, if you are struck by inspiration and have a brilliant idea about the solution to one of the challenges categorized as level X, just give it a try - if your solution is sound, it will undoubtedly attract the attention of the scientific community. |
Additionally, you may require tools that are not available in a convenient package like CrypTool.
|
