Re: [Phys-L] rot13 cipher

["Donald Polvani" <dgpolvani@verizon.net>]

Thanks to John Denker for providing this explanation and websites.  Somehow
I missed any earlier messages about rot13.

Don
Dr. Donald Polvani
Retired Engineer and  Community College Physics Instructor

-----Original Message-----
From: Phys-l [mailto:phys-l-bounces@phys-l.org] On Behalf Of John Denker
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2014 4:20 PM
To: Phys-L@Phys-L.org
Subject: [Phys-L] rot13 cipher

I quote from
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ROT13

> The algorithm provides virtually no cryptographic security, and is 
> often cited as a canonical example of weak encryption.
>
> ROT13 is used in online forums as a means of hiding spoilers, 
> punchlines, puzzle solutions, and offensive materials from the casual 
> glance. ROT13 has been described as the "Usenet equivalent of a 
> magazine printing the answer to a quiz upside down".

Some people found this obvious ... but others complained off-list that it
wasn't obvious.

As previously discussed in this forum, decoders are readily available, e.g.
  http://www.rot13.com/

=============

In analogy to triple-DES, which is widely used because it is more secure
than the basic DES (digital encryption standard), some people use
triple-rot13.

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