The Enigma Machine - live demo'd and explained
by Mike Pritchard | - 9:45am
Many folks in IT/Cyber know the Enigma machine is somehow related to the birth of computing, but few have seen this 80 year old tech actually working.
This talk takes us back to the birth of computing and industrial-scale intelligence handling with live demos of 1940’s cipher machines - a touchstone experience for people in cyber.
We start with a short overview of 1900 - 1930’s cipher tech and the development of Enigma, before demo’ing the WWII daily key setting process on a German Enigma M1. Then we switch over to another pair of machines for some bidirectional chit-chat, and finish with devices that demonstrate Enigma’s enduring influence on secret messaging.
Attendees will take away a deeper appreciation of the processes and challenges involved for both sides of the WWII codebreaking struggle.
About Mike Pritchard
30 years in IT the last 13 in cyber - then founded Australian Spy Museum. We collect and display historical spook toys that help make intangible concepts like “Threat Actor” and “Encryption Key” more understandable to y’know - actually normal people.