2024/03/26 by David Oranchak, Sam Blake, Oranchak, David +3 · 2 voices
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Computer Science · #Chaos-based Image/Signal Encryption #Cryptographic Implementations and Security #Fractal and DNA sequence analysis #cs.AI #cs.CR
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2403.17350
openalex publication_date 2024/03/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The case of the Zodiac Killer is one of the most widely known unsolved serial killer cases in history. The unidentified killer murdered five known victims and terrorized the state of California. He also communicated extensively with the press and law enforcement. Besides his murders, Zodiac was known for his use of ciphers. The first Zodiac cipher was solved within a week of its publication, while the second cipher was solved by the authors after 51 years, when it was discovered to be a transposition and homophonic substitution cipher with unusual qualities. In this paper, we detail the historical significance of this cipher and the numerous efforts which culminated in its solution.