How do you solve a Beaufort cipher?

Answer 1

To solve a Beaufort cipher, you first need to identify the key used for encryption. The Beaufort cipher employs a polyalphabetic substitution method where the ciphertext is generated by subtracting the key from the plaintext letters. To decipher, you reverse this process by using the same key: for each letter in the ciphertext, you find the corresponding letter in the key and determine the plaintext letter using the Beaufort square or a simple subtraction modulo 26. Once the key is repeated to match the length of the ciphertext, you can systematically decode the message.