ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

ADFGVX cipher

The adfgvx cipher is a way to turn secret messages into a code that only certain people can read. It was invented during World War I to help keep military secrets safe.

Imagine you have a secret message that you want to send to your friend. Instead of writing the message in plain words, you can use the adfgvx cipher to turn each letter into a different code.

First, you select a secret keyword, like "SECRET". Then, you write all the letters of the alphabet next to two sets of symbols, ADFGVX. Each letter corresponds to one of the symbols.

For example, the letter A might be represented by the symbol F, while the letter B might be represented by the symbol G. When you use the cipher to write a message, you replace each letter in the message with its corresponding symbol.

But that's not all! To make the code even harder to crack, you then take the coded message and arrange the symbols in a grid according to the letters in your keyword. So, if your keyword is "SECRET", you would write the symbols in a grid that is six columns wide and as many rows as needed to fit all the symbols.

When your friend receives the coded message, they can use the keyword to put the symbols back into the correct order. Then, using the key that you both agreed on (ADFVGVX), they can translate the symbols back into the original letters of the message.

Using the adfgvx cipher helps keep your message secret by making it harder for anyone who intercepts it to understand the information inside. It makes sure that only those who know the keyword and the key can read the message.