Codes and Ciphers :: Beaufort Cipher

To encrypt a plaintext message using the Vigenère Cipher, one locates the row with the first letter to be encrypted, and the column with the first letter of the keyword. The ciphertext letter is located at the intersection of the row and column. This continues for the entire length of the message.

A Beaufort cipher uses the same alphabet table as the Vigenère cipher, but with a different algorithm. To encode a letter you find the letter in the top row. Then trace down until you find the keyletter. Then trace over to the left most column to find the enciphered letter. To decipher a letter, you find the letter in the left column, trace over to the keyletter and then trace up to find the deciphered letter.

Some people find this easier to do than finding the intersection of a row and column.

• Monoalphabetic Cipher
• Caesar Cipher
• Atbash Cipher
• Keyword Cipher
• Pigpen / Masonic Cipher
• Polybius Square
• Polyalphabetic Cipher
• Vigenère Cipher
• Beaufort Cipher
• Autokey Cipher
• Running Key Cipher

• Transposition Ciphers
• Rail Fence
• Route Cipher
• Columnar Transposition
• Polygraphic Substitution
• Playfair Cipher
• Bifid Cipher
• Trifid Cipher
• Four-square cipher

• Other Ciphers and Codes
• Book Cipher
• Beale Cipher
• Morse Code
• Tap Code
• One-time Pad
• Scytale
• Semaphore
• ASCII
• Steganography
• Techniques
• Frequency Analysis