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Although my visit to the United States was a purely vacation visit, I couldn't miss the chance to visit the NSA. Unfortunately, it is not possible to visit the agency itself, but as the only 1 of the organizations forming the United States Intelligence Community, it has its share open to all interested. We are talking about the National Museum of Krypton located close the appropriate campus where there is simply a celebrated office building located at the National safety Agency, Central safety Service, and US Cybercommand.
As you can imagine, this part is very carefully guarded. Already a short distance from the gates leading to the worker parking lots, we were greeted by a number of cameras placed on the gate above the road. Despite our safety measures, we have encountered a group of agents who do not respect the rules at all. Talk of a goose flock that marched along the way right in front of our Uber and then continued to infiltrate the complex.
Unfortunately, the U.S. is simply a typically car country and it is rather hard to scope the place from Washington with any public transport. Therefore, we yet chose Uber and took about 40 minutes to drive. erstwhile we're on the place from the NSA itself, there's actually just a series of parking lots.
The Museum building itself, as per the installations of the intelligence agency, looks very inconspicuous. The fact that he was created from a converted erstwhile motel helps.
From the parking lot of the facility you can see the guarded part and the distinctive black office building, however, we decided not to take pictures. U.S. law in this respect is not rather clear to me – according to ACLU position The Constitution guarantees the right to photograph publically visible objects, nevertheless The NSA is rather diligent in protecting its privacy (and the area of the Museum is not necessarily a public space). During my vacation, however, I did not feel like setting precedents for interpreting the first amendment to the US Constitution. Therefore, presenting the position of buildings outsources to Google, which is surely better prepared to deal with possible legal problems. Here, on the right, you'll see the NSA complex, and on the left the Museum.
On the another hand, photos can be taken freely in the object itself, where we will be welcomed by a mosaic of the NSA logo and as per the Encryption Shield Museum.
After entering the Museum, we will find the Memorial Hall, which commemorates the fallen cryptologists.
The appropriate part of the Museum consists of 3 main halls, and additional attractions like library and souvenir shop.
My attention was drawn to the 3rd area – and not due to the "cyber" (which was yet not) but about it in a moment.
The first hall covers the period from the United States War on independency to planet War II. It is so no wonder that the centre of the exhibition is "Bomba" which erstwhile belonged to the U.S. Navy and was utilized to break Engima's ciphers by simulating the machine's operation (or, in fact, many machines) and by checking subsequent rotor settings it was possible to read messages.
There's a large condition of the decor around Enigma. Here we will find a copy that served in Hitler's headquarters:
And besides respective copies of serial production exhibited for usage by visitors. So you can feel like the operator of the Enigma providing information from the front. During our rehearsals we met with slight problems with the device, due to the fact that lights under the table with letters signaling the reception of the press did not always ignite, so we had a problem with determining whether the device accepted another sign. And this is crucial adequate that each push causes the rotor to rotate, so the correct recording of the encrypted message is essential to read it by the recipient.
In the hall there is besides a series of plates describing the past of the conflict of Midway. The American triumph during this clash was closely related to the breach of the nipponese cipher as the interception and decryption of communication enabled Admiral Nimitz to set a trap for the nipponese fleet.
However, the Second War is simply a alternatively modern time. In the hall we will besides find exhibits related to the war on American independence. Finally, intelligence and secret operations were 1 of the elements that outweighed the scales of triumph in favour of the colony's struggles for independence, and 1 of the founding fathers – Thomas Jefferson – was the creator of the encryption device known as the Jefferson Disk.
But if individual wants to see if they could get into the ranks of the cryptologists Riverbank Laboratories, they can learn about the tests that the candidates were subjected to:
Finally, the hall besides commemorates key figures in cryptology history. In addition to commemorative plaques, there was a screen with people admitted to the NSA/CSS Cryptologic Hall of Honor. And there were names well known to all the practices of infosec like: Whitfield Diffie
The second area was a small smaller and contained exhibits related to the Cold War, introducing computers to work at the NSA, and the importance of linguist in cryptology. So here we will find both the first computers utilized by NSA employees:
And supercomputers in the Cray series:
The Cold War is besides the time for the United States to engage in the Vietnam conflict. An example of the engagement of electronic intelligence in these efforts were even devices for the location of radio stations utilized by enemy soldiers.
Finally, the inherent part of this period was the threat of escalation to the atomic conflict, the most dangerous of which was the Cuban crisis. The cryptology helped to stabilize the situation after this incident, the enemy powers decided to open a direct line of communication to reduce the hazard of violent developments.:
And as we stay in the atmosphere of atomic weapons, we decision to area three. As I mentioned in the beginning, she was the most interesting to me due to the exhibits related to the function of cryptography in the safety and authentication processes of the usage of atomic warheads. A case with exhibits from the Manhattan task period and the usage of atomic bombs against Japan is displayed in the mediate of the hall (where the map was expected to contain a ‘cyber’ section). So we can see trinitite (sand melted into glass after Trinity's test), graphite from the first atomic reactor, and elements of debris after the Hiroshima explosion.
Given that Robert Oppenheimer late visited mass culture, it is besides possible to indicate the first correspondence of the scientist with the editor of Newsweek, who asked him to comment.
There are further exhibits described as “perhaps the most crucial artifacts exhibited in any museum”. We are talking about systems which, between the eighties of the last century and the second decade of the present decade, generated a code allowing the weaponization and usage of atomic heads. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a higher rate.
The strategy consisted of 2 modules. The equipment you see in the photograph above and below generated codes to enable the president of the United States to authenticate the atomic attack order, and also PAL (Permissive Action Link). These devices were already located straight on the head transmission systems and protected them from unauthorised or accidental weapons.
On the another side, the MP-37 strategy utilized to make SAS codes (Sealed Authenticator System) which are stored close weapon control systems and let confirmation that the order came from the President. This strategy is closely linked to the rule that 2 people must confirm an order, which fans of underwater movies may associate with the Red tide, where Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman had to agree on the veracity of the order.
And as far as atomic weapons were concerned, we could see the PAL, a device that secured communication with Minuteman III intercontinental missiles, and equipment that allowed the flying command center to read the attack orders and send a rocket launch signal, providing the U.S. with consequence capability even after the demolition of command centers on earth.
The subject of atomic safety is an highly interesting issue and possibly we will return to the subject on I'm sorry.
In the area there was besides an interesting exhibit related to the behaviour of OPSEC during the distribution of intelligence products. It is about artistic illustrations that the DIA utilized in the study on the state of the russian Union's armed forces. Why illustrations and not pictures? utilizing the skills of artists, it was possible to hide details of the photos that could lead to the recognition of the persons who donated the material. So, for example, the angle of the photograph, the environment of the weapon strategy or the people present close were changed.
In the 3rd area there were besides telephones utilized by Presidents and U.S. officials for safe communication in both stationary and mobile form.
And besides a device for the soldiers to communicate safely on the battlefield. Here, of course, it was crucial to reduce weight and equipment dimensions to facilitate the usage in hard conditions.
Eventually, space travel besides benefited from cryptology. Both the connection to space stations and shuttles was secured by dedicated solutions. At the museum, we saw both consoles utilized by operators at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and the encryption module recovered from the Challenger wreck.
Additionally, the Museum has a reading area with a rich collection of titles in cryptology, intelligence, and peculiar operations, as well as a souvenir shop. So I couldn't pass up an chance for my feet to be decently protected.
In addition, we brought with us publications available for free for visitors. So you can read the Kryptonological Quarterly or the past of the Enigma fracture, which, of course, besides mentions the function of Marian Rejewski.
Among the publications we will besides find positions for younger cryptologists and, of course, possible future candidates to work in the Agency
The book is truly well done with interesting tasks like creating your own encryption disk. We will besides meet sympathetic characters specified as: Decrypting Dog, an analyst of electromagnetic intelligence.
A visit to the Museum of Krypton is definitely an highly interesting experience, which I urge to everyone curious in information security. Exhibits specified as devices generating atomic weapons authentication codes are improbable to find anywhere else, and the fact that the object is located right next to Fort Meade campus just adds a taste to the trip. Washington itself, due to its importance for planet politics, is simply a peculiar place for intelligence fans (we were besides at the global Spy Museum, but it's a subject for a separate post) so I'm certain if you manage to find it there, then the Museum of Krypton will be a must-see.
