Mercurial > public > purple
diff README.txt @ 30:a58f91ead4ba v0.1.0
Created setup.py and MANIFEST for distribution.
Created purple script.
Renamed README.rst to README.txt since distutils seemed to want
either README or README.txt.
author | Brian Neal <bgneal@gmail.com> |
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date | Wed, 19 Feb 2014 18:58:34 -0600 |
parents | README.rst@b90f0c599db7 |
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--- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 +++ b/README.txt Wed Feb 19 18:58:34 2014 -0600 @@ -0,0 +1,297 @@ +====== +Purple +====== + +A historically accurate PURPLE simulator written in Python 3 +------------------------------------------------------------ + +:Author: Brian Neal <bgneal@gmail.com> +:Version: 0.1 +:Date: February 17, 2013 +:Home Page: https://bitbucket.org/bgneal/purple/ +:License: MIT License (see LICENSE.txt) +:Documentation: This file +:Support: https://bitbucket.org/bgneal/purple/issues + +``Purple`` is a Python library and command-line utility for simulating the +`PURPLE Machine`_, a cipher machine used by the Japanese Foreign Office before +and during the Second World War. PURPLE was the code name given to the machine +by U.S. cryptanalysts. The Japanese called the machine *97-shiki ōbun inji-ki* +(System 97 Printing Machine for European Characters), and *Angōki B-kata* (Type +B Cipher Machine). The machine was used for secure diplomatic communications +and was implemented as an electromechanical stepping-switch device. + +This project is a Python 3 library and command-line utility for encrypting and +decrypting text by simulating the operation of an actual PURPLE machine. + +If you are brand new to the ``Purple`` cipher machine, please skip down to the +references section and familiarize yourself with the device. This will help you +understand the terminology used in the documentation, below. + + +Requirements +############ + +``Purple`` was written in Python_ 3, specifically 3.3.2, and has no other external +dependencies. + + +Installation +############ + +``Purple`` is available on the `Python Package Index`_ (PyPI). There are +a number of ways to install to ``Purple``, detailed below. The author +recommends you install into a virtualenv_. Setting up a virtualenv is not hard, +but describing it is out of scope for this document. Please see the virtualenv_ +documentation for more information. + +You can install it using pip_:: + + $ pip install purple # install + $ pip install --upgrade purple # upgrade + +You can also visit the the `Purple Bitbucket page`_ and download an archive +file of the latest code. Alternatively, if you use Mercurial_, you can clone +the repository with the following command:: + + $ hg clone https://bitbucket.org/bgneal/purple + +If you did not use pip_ (you downloaded or cloned the code yourself), you can +install with:: + + $ cd where-you-extracted-purple + $ python setup.py install + +To run the unit tests:: + + $ cd where-you-extracted-purple + $ python -m unittest discover + + +Initial Settings Syntax +####################### + +In order to exchange messages, each message recipient must use the same initial +machine settings. For the ``Purple`` machine, these settings are the initial +switch positions for the "sixes" and three "twenties" stepping switches, the +switch motion order (which twenties switch is the fast switch, which is the +middle switch, and which is the slow switch), and finally the plugboard +alphabet mapping. + +The ``Purple`` simulation uses the following syntax in both its command-line +application and library code. + +For the switches, we borrow the notation used by U.S. cryptanalysts, for +example:: + + 9-1,24,6-23 + +Here the first number before leading dash, 9, indicates the starting position +of the sixes switch. The next three numbers are the starting positions for the +three twenties switches numbered 1, 2, and 3. Each switch position is a number +from 1 through 25, inclusive. Finally, after the last dash are two digits which +indicate the switch stepping motion. The first number, in this case 2, +indicates that the twenties switch #2 is the fast switch. The second number, 3, +indicates twenties switch #3 is the middle switch. Thus the slow switch, which +is never listed, is in this case twenties switch #1. When using this syntax, do +not insert space characters. + +The plugboard alphabet setting describes how the input typewriters are wired to +the plugboard. We represent this setting as a string of the 26 uppercase +alphabet letters where the first six letters are the wiring to the sixes +switch, and the remaining 20 are wired to the first stage of the twenties +switches. For example:: + + AEIOUYBCDFGHJKLMNPQRSTVWXZ + +For the alphabet setting to be valid, do not insert spaces, and ensure all 26 +letters are used exactly once. + + +Command-line Usage +################## + +To get help on the command-line ``Purple`` utility, execute the ``purple`` +command with the ``--help`` option:: + + $ purple --help + usage: purple [-h] [-e] [-d] [-f] [-s SWITCHES] [-a ALPHABET] [-t TEXT] + [-i FILE] [-g N] [-w N] + + PURPLE cipher machine simulator + + optional arguments: + -h, --help show this help message and exit + -e, --encrypt perform an encrypt operation + -d, --decrypt perform a decrypt operation + -f, --filter filter plaintext and provide useful substitutions + -s SWITCHES, --switches SWITCHES + switch settings, e.g. 9-1,24,6-23 + -a ALPHABET, --alphabet ALPHABET + plugboard wiring string, 26-letters; e.g. + AEIOUYBCDFGHJKLMNPQRSTVWXZ + -t TEXT, --text TEXT input text to encrypt/decrypt + -i FILE, --input FILE + file to read input text from, - for stdin + -g N, --group N if non-zero, group output in N-letter groups [default: + 5] + -w N, --width N wrap output text to N letters; a value of 0 means do + not wrap [default: 70] + + Supply either -e or -d, but not both, to perform either an encrypt or decrypt. + If the -s option is not supplied, the value of the environment variable + PURPLE97_SWITCHES will be used. If the -a option is not supplied, the value of + the environment variable PURPLE97_ALPHABET will be used. Input text is + supplied either by the -t or by the -f options, but not both. + +The ``purple`` command operates in two modes, either encrypt (specified with +``-e`` or ``--encrypt``) or decrypt (``-d`` or ``--decrypt``). Input text can +be specified on the command-line with the ``-t`` or ``--text`` option, or +a read from a file (``-i`` or ``--input``). + +The ``-s`` (or ``--switches``) and ``-a`` (or ``--alphabet``) settings +determine the initial machine settings. They use the syntax described above in +the Initial Settings Syntax section. + +If you are going to be working with the same initial switch settings and +plugboard alphabet over many command invocations it may be more convenient to +specify them as environment variables instead of repeatedly using the +command-line arguments. The examples below assume these statements have been +executed:: + + $ export PURPLE97_SWITCHES=9-1,24,6-23 + $ export PURPLE97_ALPHABET=NOKTYUXEQLHBRMPDICJASVWGZF + +If you do not specify initial settings, the ``purple`` machine will attempt to +read them from these two environment variables. Failing that, ``purple`` will +use the following initial settings: + +* default switch settings: 1-1,1,1-12 +* default alphabet: AEIOUYBCDFGHJKLMNPQRSTVWXZ + +When encrypting text, the ``purple`` machine only accepts the letters A-Z, but +also allows for "garble" letters to be indicated by using the ``-`` (dash) +character. This means all punctuation and spaces must be either be omitted or +input via some other convention. The ``-f`` or ``--filter`` flag, when present, +relaxes these restrictions a bit. When this flag is on, all lowercase letters +will be converted to uppercase, digits will be converted to words (e.g. +5 becomes FIVE), and all other characters will be ignored. + +A simple encrypt example using the ``-f`` flag is given below:: + + $ purple --encrypt -t "The PURPLE machine is now online" -f + OGIVT SIAAH MWMHT VIBYY JUOJF UE + +By default ``purple`` prints the output in 5-letter groups. This can be +disabled or customized with the ``--group`` and ``--width`` options. + +To decrypt this message:: + + $ purple --decrypt -t "OGIVT SIAAH MWMHT VIBYY JUOJF UE" + THEPU RPLEM ACHIN EISNO WONLI NE + +Note that spaces are ignored on input. Again the output is produced in 5-letter +groups and wrapped at 70 letters per line. Here is the output again with +grouping disabled:: + + $ purple -d -t "OGIVT SIAAH MWMHT VIBYY JUOJF UE" -g 0 + THEPURPLEMACHINEISNOWONLINE + +You can use file redirection to capture output in a file:: + + $ purple -e -t "The PURPLE machine is now online" -f > secret.txt + $ purple -d -i secret.txt + THEPU RPLEM ACHIN EISNO WONLI NE + + +Library Usage +############# + +To use ``Purple`` from within Python code you must first construct +a ``Purple97`` object, which represents a single PURPLE cipher machine. The +constructor is given below:: + + class Purple97(switches_pos=None, fast_switch=1, middle_switch=2, + alphabet=None) + +The ``switches_pos`` argument, when not ``None``, must be a 4-tuple or list of +4 integers that describe the initial switch positions. Element 0 is the sixes +initial position, and the remaining elements are the initial positions of the +three twenties switches. These values must be in the range 0-24, inclusive. +If ``None`` then switch positions of all zeroes is assumed. + +The ``fast_switch`` argument indicates which twenties switch (numbered 1-3) is +the fast switch. Likewise, ``middle_switch`` indicates which switch is the +middle switch. The slow switch is inferred. It is an error to give the +``fast_switch`` and ``middle_switch`` arguments the same value. + +The ``alphabet`` argument is the plugboard alphabet mapping. It is expected to +be a 26-letter uppercase string. If ``None``, a mapping of +``AEIOUYBCDFGHJKLMNPQRSTVWXZ`` is assumed. + +For convenience, another constructor is provided that allows you to specify +initial settings in the syntax described above:: + + classmethod Purple97.from_key_sheet(switches, alphabet=None) + +Here ``switches`` is a string in the syntax described above, e.g. +``'9-1,24,6-23'``. + +The ``alphabet`` argument is as described in the first constructor. + +Once constructed, you can use the ``Purple97`` object to perform encrypt and +decrypt operations. For example:: + + from purple.machine import Purple97 + + purple = Purple97.from_key_sheet( + switches='9-1,24,6-23', + alphabet='NOKTYUXEQLHBRMPDICJASVWGZF') + + ciphertext = purple.encrypt('THEPURPLEMACHINEISONLINE') + + purple = Purple97([8, 0, 23, 5], fast_switch=2, middle_switch=3, + alphabet='NOKTYUXEQLHBRMPDICJASVWGZF') + + plaintext = purple.decrypt(ciphertext) + +For more information, please review the docstrings in the code. + + +Support +####### + +To report a bug or suggest a feature, please use the issue tracker at the +`Purple Bitbucket page`_. You can also email the author using the address at +the top of this file. + + +References +########## + +#. *PURPLE Revealed: Simulation and Computer-aided Cryptanalysis of Angooki + Taipu B*, by Wes Freeman, Geoff Sullivan, and Frode Weierud. This paper + was published in Cryptologia, Volume 27, Issue 1, January, 2003, pp. 1-43. +#. Frode Weierud's CryptoCellar page: `The PURPLE Machine`_ +#. Wikipedia Article: `PURPLE Machine`_ + +The paper in reference 1 is also available here: +http://cryptocellar.web.cern.ch/cryptocellar/pubs/PurpleRevealed.pdf + +This simulator would not have been possible without Frode Weierud's +CryptoCellar page and the detailed explanations and analysis found in reference +1. The author is also deeply grateful for email discussions with Frode Weierud +and Geoff Sullivan who provided me with plaintext, advice, and encouragement. + +The ``Purple`` simulator's operation was checked against the simulator found in +reference 2. + + +.. _PURPLE Machine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_(cipher_machine) +.. _Python: http://www.python.org +.. _Python Package Index: http://pypi.python.org/pypi/purple/ +.. _virtualenv: http://www.virtualenv.org/ +.. _pip: http://www.pip-installer.org +.. _Purple Bitbucket page: https://bitbucket.org/bgneal/purple/ +.. _Mercurial: http://mercurial.selenic.com/ +.. _The PURPLE Machine: http://cryptocellar.web.cern.ch/cryptocellar/simula/purple/