John L. Whiteman

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The Pigpen Cipher ​

Enter English text and press the Encrypt button. Press the Clean Text button to remove any non-letter characters. Press the Example button to show the encryption of a random word or phrase. Press theRandomize button to generate a secret key and update the grids. Press the No Spaces button to remove any whitespace. Press the Clear button to remove the input and output text. This program can only encrypt for now and only accepts letters and spaces.

   
Secret Key: 


 

Introduction ​

The pigpen cipher is a basic monoalphabetic substitution cipher that dates back to ancient times. It has many names: tic-tac-toe, Rosicrucian, Napoleon, Freemason, and masonic cipher. It uses a divided geometry of two grid types and some strategically placed dots that map to a plaintext letter. You can enter a secret key to randomize the mappings. This cipher isn't cryptographically secure since it's vulnerable to frequency analysis attacks.

On an unrelated note, I studied how to programmatically create the pigpen symbols using the open Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format. Originally, I made standalone SVG files for each of the geometric shapes using a popular editor. It took me a few weeks to complete them. I intended to contribute my work to the Noun Project, but they were all rejected without an explanation. My work must have been extraordinarily bad since the Noun Project boasts over five million icons. Maybe the icon gatekeepers are Masons who don't appreciate their secret cipher being exposed. Yes, it does smack-dab against Kerckhoff's Principle of having an open cipher system where the only secret needed is the secret itself. I decided to cancel my subscription to the Noun Project. Moving forward, I will create my own icons, save money, practice my pen-and-paper ciphers skills, avoid unexpected copyright issues, and stop wasting time with the gatekeepers.