Solving The ASD Australian 50 Cent Coin Puzzle — Released Sept 1 2022
This article will go over how to solve the puzzles on the new 50 cent coin issued by Australian Mint in collaboration with Australian Signals Directorate.
The purpose of this article is so you can understand how to break the code on the coin.
Please note this article is aimed at new commers to cryptography, and if you already understand the basics then keep trying, you can solve it quite easily.
Puzzle One
The very first puzzle you need to solve is on the front of the coin.
Look underneath some of the lettering, those dots look familiar don’t they? You’ve see them everywhere. It’s braille.
To solve the problem use a Braille Alphabet to decode the message.
Clue: The sequence will give a clue on how to solve the next puzzle.
Answer: AtBash
Puzzle 2
Ok by now you should be excited to solve the next puzzle.
Let’s look at the text “URMWXOZIRGBRM7DRWGSC5WVKGS”. This is a string scrambled using the AtBash Cipher.
This string of text can be solved using an AtBash Cipher Decoder online.
There is one more line on the coin with similar text.
DVZIVZFWZXRLFHRMXLMXVKGZMWNVGRXFOLFHRMVCVXFGRLM
Clever — https://www.asd.gov.au/publications/director-general-asd-speech-lowy-institute
Clue: The text 7 Width and 5 Depth is a clue to solve the next string of text.
Puzzle 3
This part you will need to do with a pen and paper, it’s just easier. You can use a Ceasar Box Cipher tool to decode it online.
Create a matrix that is 7 across and 5 down. Start writing out the letters from top left to the right then go to the next line when you hit 7.
You can see in the picture the first word Belonging.
Answer: Belonging to a great team striving for excellence we make a difference XOR HEX A5D75
Clue: Xor HEX is a clue to decipher the big block of text and A5D75 could possibly be some kind of key.
Final Puzzle
This one you need a special tool online for. Head on over to Xor Cipher Online Tool to solve the final part. You will need to make all the text into one full block with no spaces.
The block of text should look like this “E3B8287D4290F7233814D7A47A291DC0F71B2806D1A53B311CC4B97A0E1CC2B93B31068593332F10C6A3352F14D1B27A3514D6F7382F1AD0B0322955D1B83D3801CDB2287D05C0B82A311085A033291D85A3323855D6BC333119D6FB7A3C11C4A72E3C17CCBB33290C85B6343955CCBA3B3A1CCBB62E341ACBF72E3255CAA73F2F14D1B27A341B85A3323855D6BB333055C4A53F3C55C7B22E2A10C0B97A291DC0F73E3413C3BE392819D1F73B331185A3323855CCBA2A3206D6BE3831108B”
Use the image to solve the text.
Answer: For 75 years the Australian Signals Directorate has brought together people with the skills, adaptability and imagination to operate in the slim area between the difficult and the impossible.
You’ve done it!
That Was Fun, Give Me More!!!
Ok you asked for it.
Head on over to EvilZone.org and see if you can beat my score.
https://evilzone.org/index.php?page=profile&sub=challenges&id=47654
My total online time is 0 days, 1 hours, 36 minutes and 49 seconds.
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Update: This article was used by Channel 7 and I was interviewed regarding the solve. ASD never offered me a job like they said they would.
