Decrypting Binary Code to English Text

In summary, a friend gave the user a string of binary numbers that appear to be gibberish, but if translated using an ASCII translator may yield something meaningful. The user is struggling to decode the code, and is likely not the only one.
  • #1
JuanBarron
11
0
00110100 00110011 00100000 00110100 00111001 00100000 00110100 00110011 00100000 00110100 00110001 00100000 00110100 00110100 00100000 00110100 00110001 00100000 00110010 00110000 00100000 00110011 00110011 00100000 00110011 00110011 00100000 00110011 00110000 00100000 00110011 00110001
 
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  • #2
Can you give us some context here?

Why do you need it decrypted?

Where did you come across this sample?

Is this a homework assignment?
 
  • #3
A friend gave it to me.
 
  • #4
Okay where did he get it? And why do you want it decrypted?
 
  • #5
I don't know where he got it.
He just said if I can decrypt but didn't give me any clues.
 
  • #7
It looks like binary, I tried the ASCII chart but gave me more numbers,
it could be ternary or another base.
 
  • #8
I did a google search on the first three bytes and got this crazy Facebook account

https://www.facebook.com/01100001-01100100-01101000-01100101-01101001-01110010-1421042178127360/timeline/
 
  • #9
It doesn't look like English, and my friend is white.
 
  • #10
There are others online. I suspect it’s just ascii or ascii in reverse.

The google search says folks try to talk Binary online.
 
  • #12
I got a string of numbers
43 49 43 41 44 41 20 33 33 30 31
 
  • #14
:(
:(
:(
 
  • #15
Perhaps if you "decode" via ASCII again the result will make some kind of sense to you (if not then try google what you find).
 
  • #16
I got this in the second layer

Base16: CICADA 3301
 
  • #17
JuanBarron said:
it could be ternary or another base.
Possible, but since the only digits present are 0 and 1, it's most likely binary and not ternary or some other base.

JuanBarron said:
I got this in the second layer
Base16: CICADA 3301
The CICADA part seems promising...
 
  • #19
JuanBarron said:
00110100 00110011 00100000 00110100 00111001 00100000 00110100 00110011 00100000 00110100 00110001 00100000 00110100 00110100 00100000 00110100 00110001 00100000 00110010 00110000 00100000 00110011 00110011 00100000 00110011 00110011 00100000 00110011 00110000 00100000 00110011 00110001

Groups 3,6,9,12... are encoded directly in ASCII, 00100000=(20h), the Space character in the above string.
Other groups are paired such that they are the ASCII encoding of the Hex digits of an ASCII character. The first character is:
00110100 > ASCII '4'
00110011 > ASCII '3'
= 43h
= 'C' in ASCII
Then followed by a Space. (00100000 > 20h)

If you represent the Space character as "_" the message reads: C_AI_C_A_D_A__3_3_0_1 (note the two spaces before the first "3")

Edit: fixed second character in decode: was 'A' should be 'I'.
 
Last edited:
  • #20
Tom.G said:
the message reads: C_A_C_A_D_A__3_3_0_1
You're off a bit. The second letter comes from groups 4 and 5, which are 34 and 39 (in hex) which are the ASCII codes for 4 and 9 (decimal). As a hex number, 0x49 is the ASCII code for I (upper case i). The OP reported this in post #16.
JuanBarron said:
Base16: CICADA 3301
 
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  • #21
Mark44 said:
You're off a bit. The second letter comes from groups 4 and 5, which are 34 and 39 (in hex) which are the ASCII codes for 4 and 9 (decimal). As a hex number, 0x49 is the ASCII code for I (upper case i).
Oops! You are right. Post has been fixed. Thanks!
 
  • #22
My friend gave me the answer and it it CICADA 3301.
He said that he wants to be part of the secret organization.
 

1. What is binary code?

Binary code is a coding system that uses a combination of only two numbers, 0 and 1, to represent letters, numbers, and symbols. It is the fundamental language used by computers to store and process data.

2. Why is binary code used?

Binary code is used because it is a simple and efficient way for computers to store and process data. It allows for complex information to be broken down into a series of 0s and 1s, which computers can easily understand and manipulate.

3. How does binary code work?

In binary code, each 0 or 1 is called a bit. A group of 8 bits is called a byte, which can represent a single character. By combining multiple bytes, computers can represent larger numbers, letters, and symbols.

4. How do you decrypt binary code to English text?

To decrypt binary code to English text, you need to use a binary decoder or converter. This tool takes the binary code and translates it back into readable text. Another option is to manually convert each group of 8 bits into its corresponding letter or symbol using an ASCII table.

5. Can binary code be converted to other languages?

Yes, binary code can be converted to other languages. However, the conversion process may differ depending on the language's character set and encoding system. Some languages may have specific binary codes assigned to their characters, while others may require additional steps for conversion.

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