You need to bring all pizza boxes to the laser test chamber and blow them up to get the niobium from them.
That’s only one, the one in the cafeteria in QE. The others are all in unreachable areas unless you have noclip.
And are you sure of this? Have you tried it in-game?
Well folks, I find my self believing I have found what we are missing, I BELIEVE! When I get done putting it together, I will post it here, either way… I’m not 100%… of course, but I believe I got it. and for the dev team, if they read this… then they will get the “wink wink, nudge nudge”…if I’m right of course…
anyhow, … have it up soon.
PLEASE STAND BY…
I tried it and it didn’t work; however, I do like the line of thinking with that. What sucks is we can’t get our grubby paws on the actual source code for the game (from what I know), so things like the idea of blowing some object up with the laser or throwing something in a fire or maybe even other stuff might work. I haven’t tested anything else yet, but that line of thinking is a reasonable one.
Let’s look at the IRC clues that have been given so far along with the OTR headers that were contained in them.
This is a list of cipher descriptions posted by user 0418_08151814 (aka Storm)[/size]
Level 0 - 2 = Non Encrypted or Encoded (similar to private and confidential?)
Level 3 - 4 = OTR 1 - Base 64 or Base 85 encoded
Level 5 -6 = OTR 2 - Hyper-encrypted (layered) Pen and Paper Ciphers
Level 7 = OTR 3 -Hyper-encrypted (layered) One Time Pad
Level 8 = OTR 4 - 128bit/256bit blockcipher (AES or Rjindael or Twofish orSerpent)
Level 9 = OTR 5 - Cascaded Block Ciphers with salt (SHA 512 or Whirlpool etc)
Level 10 = OTR 6 - Cascaded Block Ciphers with salt and possible key file additions (to increase password strength)
IRC CLUE 1
OTR(s) Listed in Header 1,3
OTR Descriptions:
OTR 1 - Base 64 or Base 85 encoded
OTR 3 - Hyper-encrypted (layered) One Time Pad
Solution:
OTR 1 (Base 64) Was used to decrypt the message.
OTR 3 Was not used. Probably because the transmission was “interrupted”
IRC CLUE 2
OTR(s) Listed in Header: None
Solution:
OTR 1 (Base 64) was used to decrypt the message.
IRC CLUE 3
OTR(s) Listed in Header 1,3
OTR Descriptions:
OTR 1 - Base 64 or Base 85 encoded
OTR 3 - Hyper-encrypted (layered) One Time Pad
Solution:
OTR 1 (Base 64) was used to decrypt the message.
OTR 3 was not used. Probably, because the transmission said “CLASSIFIED”. The message to 'switch to old code talker" may be a reference to use OTR3 in deciphering the next transmission.
IRC CLUE 4
OTR(s) Listed in Header 1,3 AND 2
OTR Descriptions:
OTR 1 - Base 64 or Base 85 encoded
OTR 3 - Hyper-encrypted (layered) One Time Pad
OTR 2 - Hyper-encrypted (layered) Pen and Paper Ciphers
Solution:
OTR 1 (Base 64) was used to decrypt the message.
OTR 2 References the Navajo Code Talker’s Dictionary
OTR 3 References usage of the Playfair Cipher
IRC CLUE 5
OTR(s) Listed in Header 1,3 AND 3
OTR Descriptions:
OTR 1 - Base 64 or Base 85 encoded
OTR 3 - Hyper-encrypted (layered) One Time Pad
OTR 3 - Hyper-encrypted (layered) One Time Pad
Solution:
OTR 1 (Base 64) was used to decrypt the message.
OTR 3 A dictionary attack was used to attain “AMAJ ORITY OFTHE PIZZA S YOUS HOULD BRING PEOPL E” which led to the key being a quote by Giordano Bruno
OTR 3 A dictionary attack was used again to determine that the key was using common text.
IRC CLUE 6
OTR(s) Listed in Header 3,4
OTR Descriptions:
OTR 3 - Hyper-encrypted (layered) One Time Pad
OTR 4 - 128bit/256bit block cipher (AES or Rjindael or Twofish or Serpent)
Solution:
OTR 1 (Base 64) was used to decrypt the message leading to the discovery of the HALOS.txt
OTR 3 AND 4 are probably mentioned because they are the necessary OTR’s for the HALOS.txt
HALOS FILE
OTR(s) Listed in Header 3,4 AND 4
OTR Descriptions:
OTR 3 - Hyper-encrypted (layered) One Time Pad
OTR 4 - 128bit/256bit block cipher (AES or Rjindael or Twofish or Serpent)
OTR 4 - 128bit/256bit block cipher (AES or Rjindael or Twofish or Serpent)
Solution Ideas:
(OTR 3) THE FIRST STEP APPEARS TO BE TO DECRYPT HALOS WITH A ONE TIME PAD
Wreak Havoc as the OTP?
(OTR 4) THE SECOND STEP WOULD TAKE THE RESULTS OF THE ABOVE DECRYPTION AND APPLY EITHER AES, RIJANDEL, TWOFISH OR SERPENT DECRYPTION TO IT.
(Is this the reason we were given the 21 goes into 1 clue referencing the “Laser Optronic Linear Inducer Cannon” again?[/size] Are we being told to reuse “Laser Optronic Linear Inducer Cannon” as the 256bit key?
I am unsure if this was mentioned before, but a internet search for Laser Optronic Linear Inducer Cannon led me to this article about lasers and their use for quantum computing.
I want to post this, because I think this is right on. Its taking me a bit to work on. but one of you may have a better idea how to do it quickly. I wanted to learn about test patterns and vectorscopes and all that. Looking at a lot of the tech that is in the bmrf, its old tech. something that I noticed was the VHS tapes all over. If you look at the type of tapes, they are E180. What this means is they are of the PAL format which was used in the UK during the time of VCR’S… Something interesting about PAL format, is that it was used at a resolution of 752x582 , 752, standing out. something also to note about the vhs tapes, is the way they were recorded. they are recorded in a diagonal angle on the tape, while the audio is recorded onto the tape as a straight line. see image below, also know as HELICAL SCAN, or HELICAL RECORDING. “Helical scan is a method of recording high frequency signals on magnetic tape. It is used in reel-to-reel video tape recorders, video cassette recorders, digital audio tape recorders, and some computer tape drives.” These types of recording devises are all over BMRF. I’m thinking if we align the text in such a way as if it was recorded in a helical fashion, and then reverse it. it may yield something. All the pizzas are near a HELIX, here is an image of a vector scope diagram used for test patterns and the above mentioned images on vhs. Ideas???
So it’s most likely Hyper-Encryption with OTP? What you have makes perfect logical sense actually(I remember it was tossed around for awhile but thrown to the back like about everything else in here).
I think we should all stop posting crazy theories and focus on this, as this is the only thing I’ve seen that makes logical sense.
[/size]
Anyhow, if it’s a hyper-encrypted OTP, what can the pad(s) be? I think we should pull some quotes from the IRC clues and/or whiteboards that are lengthy enough to be a One Time Pad key and throw them against the wall and see where we go, although I’d bet[/size] it’s more likely one of the IRC clues or Grilled Pizza.[/size]
@Pianownd: Check my Solution Ideas corrections to the initial post. They are corrected above for you.[/size]
If we need to use a One Time Pad for the 752 bit HALOS text then ideal key would be a minimum 376 characters. The first few verses of the Wreak Havoc song referenced on Chris Horn’s site is exactly 380 characters and I would like to see it tried as step one.
Brutal acts of sapiens leave Jehovah in disgust
creative acts of clever monkeys leaves the devil envious
Add up all of Hades’ blessings Total all of heavens’ curse
Let you know we’ve done it better Horrifically we did it worse
I am the 6th son of the 6th son of the 6th son I am the borged again son of war
Technology’s child, daughter of rebellion, son of a bitch blossom of a whore
I am a god-killing virus, destruction with 8 arms, monster with seven severed heads
The second step requires taking the OTP results and then use it in either AES, RIJANDEL, TWOFISH or SERPENT. Each of these need a 256bit key and I think we should try “Laser Optronic Linear Inducer Cannon” as the key since it appears to have been referenced by the 21 goes into 1 clue.
Aren’t the benaloh and paillier crypto systems block ciphers?
User @drgibbles mentioned that he found this on a wall unit in the Questionable Ethics chapter some time ago, I think it was longer in game.
Technically, the IRC clue 5 inner code was a running key cipher, not an OTP cipher. This is because the key was common text. It is only an OTP if the key is truly random (and only used once).
The problem with using a song lyric as the key is that there can be lots of slightly different versions of it, each with slight differences in capitalization, punctuation, line breaks, etc. And what do we use for line breaks, CR LF or just LF? (For instance, the IRC clues used LFs only (Unix format).)
Also, if the next step is to decrypt with a block cipher, then the result after the first step will still look like garbage, meaning we will have no way of knowing if the first step succeeded until we get both steps right.
Another problem: Is the OTP based on XOR or modulo 256 addition?
No, they are public-key cryptosystems.
Remember that the HALOS header has “ABORTIVE” in the code. Perhaps this means that one of the above methods (the one-time pad, or any of the two OTR 4s) may not be applied. In this case, as “[END TRANSMISSION]” is outside of the HALOS inner cryptext, I doubt it’s the first two (OTR 3 and the first OTR 4).
And recall what Stormseeker said here. Maybe it’s an issue with semantics. Maybe we’re not supposed to DEcrypt code, but rather the HALOS hex code is actually encrypted BACKWARDS - i.e. we might need to ENcrypt the HALOS hex code using AES, Rijandel, 2fish, or Serpent.
Maybe we need to encrypt a plaintext string, then use the results of that to decrypt/encrypt the hex code.
I had mentioned something on this before, and figure Ill just throw it out there again, the pizza is a lie images…if you rotate the letters, they are letters in a different languages.
Well, yeah, there are Greek and Cyrillic letters that you can make out of congratulationsyouwonthePIZZA. Not all of them, though. And there’s no guarantee that you’ll come up with anything coherent with those letters, either.
Hi, did the thread move somewhere else?
Naah, we’re just out of ideas 
Well, here is possibly a new idea that may or may not support one of our pre-existing theories about the cipher:
If we are to take what 0418_08151814 (aka Storm) wrote in the PM to @Gunsrequiem at face value, then the cipher is one of the following ciphers: AES, Rijndael, Twofish or Serpent.
Is there a clue that can tell us which one of these ciphers it is specifically? Maybe there is.
Let’s take another look at the Lies.jpg picture on the TOR page:
LIES
STEALS IT
EATS IT
DR STONE WILL PAY
Dr. Stone is being accused of thievery and he will pay somehow. Most likely this is to be understood as he will be punished, he will get what is coming to him.
Now recall the quote from Dante’s Inferno (on the TOR page): “Raphèl mai amècche zabì almi”. Assuming this was just a hint to draw our attention to the Divine Comedy, then maybe the answer is somewhere in it. In Dante’s Inferno (Canto 24-25), thieves are sent to be punished in the eight circle of hell in the seventh bolgia, which is a ditch full of serpents that are tormenting the sinners in gruesome ways for all eternity.
Serpents are also often associated with the devil and demons.
But, even if this were to confirm that the cipher indeed is Serpent, we still have problems:
- Determining the correct 128-, 192- or 256-bit key.
- Block size mismatch, which raises the question: Is the code truncated? (There’s the mysterious “[ABORTIVE.]” thing, but the inner OTR enclosure “[OTR//4.0] … [/]” seems to be intact.)
- Block cipher mode of operation. The available options depend on whether the code is truncated or not.
- 128-bit initialization vector. It is possible that it could be embedded in the code, either at the beginning or at the end.
- Multiple versions of the Serpent cipher?
It’s been 3.5 years since any progress has been made.
Storm’s website, the central hub for this arg, has been down for ages.
Most of the players have given up due to lack of progress. Storm made the Halos problem “hard” because some math guys from Cambridge were involved, but it looks like whoever they were they lost interest a long time ago.
Proposed solutions involve so many variables that the problem may as well be considered NP-complete.
Is anyone having fun anymore?
Without a bone from Storm, I don’t see any future in the Pizza Code Mystery.