History and Technology
How German Codes During World War II Changed The World
The story behind your VPNs I bet you didn’t know
Privacy and secrecy have become an important aspect of our life, whether we are having a sweet chat with our loved ones or just looking for stuff over the internet. Now with advancements in technology, all you need is to download a secure VPN connection on your device — and boom — all your personal data and activity over the internet is encrypted.
But did you know the concept of data encryption was used much before the invention of computers and the internet? The Germans used a similar concept to transfer information during the Second World War. The only difference between then and now is that back then it was called cryptography.
The Germans used a cipher machine called Enigma which gave the Allies a run for their money but also changed the world in the process.
Enigma: The Germans’ secret weapons during the Second World War
Communication during wars is all about transferring messages swiftly with utmost secrecy. Germany’s newly developed machine enigma was believed to be unbreakable, thus giving Germany a huge advantage in the war. The reason why Enigma was considered impossible to crack was that every message that has been entered in an Enigma machine was encrypted, with 150 million- million possible ways to decrypt it. In order to decrypt the messages the machine settings were needed which were one of the aforementioned possibilities. This might give an insight into why breaking Enigma was a big challenge for the Allies. But it doesn’t end there, the Germans made it worse by changing its settings every single day, limiting the time frame to crack the codes.
Messages that are to be transferred were first entered in an enigma machine which gave the message a gibberish form. Then the messages were sent using Morse code to military factions. Anyone with a telegram receiver could intercept the message but they can’t interpret it.
German U-boats which were already a big threat for the British navy became even more dangerous with Enigma. Morse code can travel several meters below the sea therefore U-boats could change their course at any given time in accordance with the orders it received from higher command on grounds. The Allied Power were convinced that Enigma is a challenge they need to overcome in order to turn the war in their favor.
Enigma got cracked: The defeat of the Nazis they didn’t realize
As impactful as the creation of Enigma was to the war and to the entire world, the cracking of Enigma changed the course of the war completely. This was achieved due to the efforts of Alan Turing and his colleagues in Bletchley Park. Alan Turing believed that the mechanics of Enigma was way beyond the comprehension of the human mind. He was convinced that analyzing all the possible settings in Enigma would take millions of years to finally decode it. Therefore he created a machine called ‘Bombe’ to crack the Enigma codes. A machine to beat a machine.
The cracking of Enigma is said to have shortened the entire length of the War by 2-3 years. The Germans who were in an illusion that all their “classified” information were transferred with utmost secrecy, their messages were now read by a bunch of mathematicians sitting at their office. All information like surprise attacks, troops organization, and most importantly U-boats location were now in the knowledge of the Allies troops. Breaking the Enigma saved the world from more damage to life and property and huge economic loss for several years.
From Enigma to VPNs: How a cipher machine got into our phones
The brilliancy of Germans’ usage of Enigma during the Second World War and the sheer complexity of it! The Germans and Alan Turing, who created the Bombe Machine, could not have possibly realized how revolutionary their actions were in the near future. Both Enigma and The Bombe Machine gave the world the new concept of data encryption and decryption. At first, it started out as a military tool for fast and secretive communication. The US even created a similar machine to Enigma called ‘SIGABA’. But with the invention of the internet data encryption has now become a “Civil Necessity”.
The best example of the use of data encryption in our day-to-day lives can be seen in one of the most popular app itself, WhatsApp. The WhatsApp end-to-end encryption is what we can call a modern-day example of how Germany used Enigma during World War II.
The VPNs we pay so high prices for might not have existed if the Germans hadn’t used their big brains. Our personal data over the internet like our biometrics, login ID details, credit card details, etc. are all protected by an encryption code.
The creation of the Bombe Machine also laid the foundation of computers and artificial intelligence. A Machine able to do the task in minutes that humans can’t possibly do in a million years was what humanity needed. Artificial intelligence is the future of this world and it’s crazy to think that it all began from trying to decode German secret messages.
The battle against millions of Enigmas we are still fighting
80 years ago we fought a hidden battle against the Nazis that changed the world. But the battle isn’t over yet only the enemies have changed. Who are the enemies you ask? Could be anyone from your neighbor to the government.
The efforts of the British codebreakers during the Second World War lead us to the modern system of warfare which is termed as “Cyber War”. Hackers and Governments are in a constant battle to break through the encryption of your devices to target your personal data. Since our own personal devices are now connected directly or indirectly to the rest of the world thanks to the internet our own personal data is actually a huge deal to bother.
Let’s say Nation X wants to wage a Cyber War against Nation Y. The acts of warfare it can pursue are cyber-espionage, sabotaging digital infrastructure like communication, satellites, power grids, or spreading propaganda via fake news on social media. Nation X will try to achieve this by accessing all internet devices at the civilian level. The only possible way Nation Y can defend against this malice is by securing governmental and public data.
The same concept can be applied at a much smaller scale. Hackers are constantly trying to decode all encryption chains in your system. Their objective might be to steal your personal data, most commonly your bank details, to steal your identity and credentials, or just to test their coding skills in case of a grey hat hacker.
In the summer of 2013, the former CIA employee Edward Snowden revealed to the whole world the existence of the US mass surveillance program that was created to collect the personal data of US citizens. His actions were significant towards questioning the national security and privacy of an individual.
Some even believe that the Third World War, if fought, might not be about guns and nuclear weapons. It will be about Governments trying to breach the privacy of other countries’ citizens over the internet. Who Knows? It might have already begun. We are just too clueless to not realize it yet.
