GSSA Spy School Level One - Steganography: Messages in Print 2

A note or e-mail to a friend may look ordinary, but in the spy world, things are not always what they seem. If spies have a code system in place, a secret message can be hidden in an innocent letter. Try to find the message hidden in the note below.

Gareth,

Our family reunion is coming up soon. Meeting some of our relatives we have never seen before should be exciting! Is it something you are looking forward to? At the moment, I am, but things may change as it gets closer. The truth is, I have never been to a reunion before, and don't know what to expect. Pool will be one of the activities, dad says, as will a buffet, video games and cards. At least that's what I think he said. 5 times you have beat me in pool, so I hope you are ready for a challenge! See, I have been practicing! You know what that means! There is no escape - ha ha!

Judge

The secret: The first word in each sentence forms a secret message!

Knowing the secret makes the message easy to decode, but to someone who doesn't, the email would just look like two competitive cousins talking about a reunion! (Answer below.)

ANSWER: !ereht uoy eeS .5 ta loop eht ta si gniteem ruO

Definitions: Steganography vs. Cryptography

Steganography is the art and science of writing hidden messages in such a way that no one apart from the sender and intended recipient even realizes there is a hidden message.

By contrast, cryptography obscures the meaning of a message, but it does not conceal the fact that there is a message.

Generally, a steganographic message will appear to be something else: a picture, an article, a shopping list, or some other message. This apparent message is the covertext. For instance, a message may be hidden by using invisible ink between the visible lines of innocuous documents.

The advantage of steganography over cryptography alone is that messages do not attract attention to themselves, to messengers, or to recipients. An unhidden coded message, no matter how unbreakable it is, will arouse suspicion and may in itself be incriminating, as in countries where encryption is illegal.

Often, steganography and cryptography are used together to ensure security of the covert message.

GSSA Spy School Level One - The Power of Observation

Powers of observation are probably the most important skill a spy can develop. Being observant is essential to a spy’s work, and can even save your life. You need to be able to notice everything,

including little details that seem unimportant. A good way to practice is to observe a scene, and then test your memory. Study the above picture for one minute, to see how many details you can find, and then answer the questions below....

1. How many pumpkins are in the picture?
2. The scarecrow is standing on the left or the right of the picture?
3. In the picture there is also: a squirrel, an automobile, or an American flag?
4. The rooster in the picture is facing left or right?
5. The cart that this scene is posed on is: brown, green, or black?

Now check your answers!

Answers: neerG .5 tfeL .4 galf naciremA na .3 thgiR .2 owT .1

How did you do?

5 correct - You are a top agent in observation!
3 to 4 correct - You did well, but you could probably brush up on your observation skills!
1 to 2 correct - Back to Spy School for you!

GSSA Spy School Level One - Cryptography: Messages in Print

If you need to get a secret letter to a fellow spy - you can highlight, circle or bold the letters that form your message in a page from a book, newspaper, magazine, or online article. Then make sure it gets in the right hands!

HOW TO DO IT:

To code:
Select your article, book or magazine.
Highlight, bold, or circle letter with in the message to create your secret message.
Deliver it to the receiver. (Perhaps you can use your pre-assigned dead drop!)

To decode:
Write down all the circled, bold, or highlighted letters in order.
Separate them into individual words...
and.... now you have your secret message!

Try to decode this:

from Profile: Alex Allen (answer below)

Alex Allan, who is seriously ill in hospital, is the colorful head of the UK's Joint Intelligence Committee.

As chairman of the committee, his role is to collate intelligence from MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, and brief ministers.

Mr Allan, 57, is a big fan of the 60s rock group the Grateful Dead, and in the 1980s windsurfed to work along the River Thames during a train strike.

He was appointed to the Joint Intelligence Committee despite having no background in the field.

Mr Allan runs a website for "Deadheads", fans of the Grateful Dead, which features a lyric and song search engine for work of the Californian rockers.

(All answers will now be printed backwards for security reasons!)
ANSWER: thginot 8 ta em teem (meet me at 8 tonight)

GSSA Spy School Level One - Cryptography: Reflections

One easy way spies can disguise a message is to write it so it’s readable only when held up to a mirror. Mirror writing is hard to read. This makes it useful for writing secret codes. See if you can read the above message, then hold up a mirror and read the reflection.

Mirror image writing is not a great way to hide top secret information, as it’s fairly easy to decipher. But it’s a good method in a pinch—and especially useful when the words are actually code words for something else. That way, if the wrong person finds the message and deciphers it, they still will not know what it means.

HOW TO DO IT:

Write your message backward, from left to right. You have to write the word backwards AND you have to write each letter backwards in order for it to look perfect when held up to a mirror.

For example, the letters O and V look the same when viewed in a mirror or on paper, but letters like R, L, K, and S have to be written backward.

Top UK Spy Collapses

Courtesy of the HERALD SUN

MYSTERY deepens over the sudden illness of Britain's top spy after a neighbor said he was found covered in blood.

Alex Allan, 57, the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, was still in a coma under police guard as doctors ran tests to try to identify what caused him to collapse.

He was found by painter Dominique Salm, who took over the studio in his home when his artist wife of 29 years died of cancer last year.

Neighbors said Ms Salm, 35, told them she found him slumped unconscious and "blood everywhere".

But Whitehall sources blamed pneumonia.

Experts say pneumonia sufferers may cough up some blood but rarely much.

Ms Salm's mother, Sally Ann Salm, said: "Some very serious people have asked Dominique not to comment on any of this until it has been fully investigated and she is doing just that. So am I."

A police source said it was "quickly established there was a medical reason for how he was found. He is being treated as a medical patient, not the victim of any kind of poisoning or other attempt on his life".

Mr Allan oversees the committee analyzing intelligence from MI5, MI6, GCHQ, and other sources.

See also: Profile: Spy Chief Alex Allan

GSSA Spy School

Starting tomorrow, Gareth's Secret Spy Academy will begin GSSA Spy School, in association with Scholastic, Spy X, and the American Spy Academy. There will be 16 courses offered with difficulty levels of one through four.

By studying the courses as they are offered - you will learn many different spy techniques, that will eventually allow you to complete your on-line Spy X training and receive a printable diploma from the American Spy Academy!

Have fun!