Cryptanalysis of transposition cipher using evolutionary algorithms

Abstract

This paper presents how techniques such as evolutionary algorithms (EAs) can optimize complex cryptanalysis processes. The main goal of this article is to introduce a special algorithm, which allows executing an effective cryptanalysis attack on a ciphertext encoded with a classic transposition cipher. In this type of cipher, the plaintext letters are modified by permutation. The most well-known problem, which is often solved with optimization techniques operating on a set of permutations, is the Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP). The mentioned algorithm uses a specially prepared function of assessment of the individuals with a set of genetic operators, used in the case of TSP problem.