Can You Crack the Code? Play the Cryptography Game

Hosted by Girl Day Creator: IBM

Explore ciphers, decode messages, and build your own super-secret coded message.

Recommended Grades: 6th, 7th, 8th

The Challenge: Play the Cryptography Game and crack the code!!

  1. Download and print the Cryptography Game pdf file.
  2. Practice the Cryptography examples.
  3. Make your own secret code!

STEM Connections

From CEOs and government leaders to families and individuals concerned about privacy, identity theft, and fraud, everyone who lives or works in the digital world should worry about cybersecurity.

Introduction to Cryptography

The use of cryptography began thousands of years ago as a way to protect secrets using codes and ciphers. However, it wasn’t until the 20th century that mechanical systems such as the Enigma rotor machine-made encryption an efficient and effective way to protect information. Today, encryption methods used to make ciphers have become more complex and even harder to break. This activity gives students an introduction to cryptography and includes hands-on exercises designed to teach students how to encrypt and decrypt messages using ciphers.

Let’s say you want to send your best friend a secret message in a way that only the two of you understood.  How would you do that?

One way you could do that is to use cryptography – which is another word for sharing messages using a secret code. To send your secret message using cryptography you would first need to establish a code that would make your message unreadable to those who don’t have the code. Then you would send your coded message to your friend who uses the secret code to discover the real message you sent. 

Cryptography has been used for hundreds of thousands of years to share information privately without third parties or the public from reading the private messages.  Today, we use cryptography for computer passwords, ATM cards, and online shopping.

Have fun learning about ciphers, decoding messages, and building your own super-secret coded message.

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