Big Machines: Cryptographic Security of the German Enigma, Japanese PURPLE, and US SIGABA/ECM Cipher Machines

Why do some cryptographic systems fail and others succeed? Stephen Kelley's new book, Big Machines, explores this fundamental question of cryptology by examining the history of three of the most renowned cipher systems of World War II - the German Enigma, the Japanese PURPLE, and the American SIGABA/ECM - to understand why the first two were broken by the allies and last remained unbroken. Were the allies' successes against Enigma and PURPLE due to inherent weaknesses in the Axis' machines,...