Unsolvable CIA Code Is Now Solved

Unsolvable CIA Code Is Now Solved

For over three decades, the mysterious Kryptos sculpture at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia has fascinated cryptographers and codebreakers worldwide.

Created by artist Jim Sanborn in 1990, the copper artwork conceals four encrypted messages—three solved, one unsolved.

That last puzzle, known as K4, remained one of the most famous unsolved ciphers in the world—until a recent twist involving an email, two curious researchers, and a forgotten archive changed everything.

Sanborn, now 79, had planned to auction off the Kryptos solution and related materials for an estimated $300,000 to $500,000 to help fund healthcare and charitable programs.

But in September 2025, two admirers of his work—Jarett Kobek, a novelist, and Richard Byrne, a journalist—stumbled upon the hidden plaintext of K4 buried in Smithsonian Institution archives.

The discovery began when Kobek noticed a clue in an RR Auction catalog referencing Sanborn’s “coding charts” stored at the Smithsonian.

Byrne, based in Washington, D.C., accessed and photographed the documents, unknowingly capturing scraps of paper that contained the plaintext of the unsolved passage.

Among the taped fragments, they spotted phrases matching previously released hints—“BERLIN CLOCK” and “EAST NORTHEAST.”

Together, they pieced together all 97 characters of K4, inadvertently solving the decades-old enigma.

When they informed Sanborn of their find, he confirmed their solution—but the revelation upended his auction plans.

Sanborn explained that those documents were accidentally included in his archival donation years earlier while he was undergoing cancer treatment.

Realizing their mistake’s implications, Sanborn had the Smithsonian seal the materials until 2075.

The ensuing conversations turned tense. Sanborn proposed that Kobek and Byrne sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and receive a portion of the auction proceeds—an offer they refused, citing ethical concerns and fears of potential fraud.

The artists’ dispute now lies at the intersection of art, ethics, and legality. RR Auction’s lawyers warned Kobek and Byrne against releasing the text, hinting at legal consequences for copyright infringement and interference with contracts.

While the two men say they do not plan to publish the solution, they remain conflicted—balancing loyalty to Sanborn’s artistic vision with the principle of open knowledge.

Meanwhile, Kryptos enthusiasts online debate whether the plaintext’s exposure diminishes the sculpture’s allure or enhances its legend.

As one expert put it, “If they don’t have the method, it’s not solved.”

The Kryptos saga now stands as a real-world cipher story about artistic secrecy, digital discovery, and human curiosity—a reminder that even in the age of AI and open-source intelligence, some mysteries endure as much for how they’re solved as for what they reveal.

If you’re fascinated by the intersection of art, mystery, and codebreaking, show your support—like, share, and follow for more deep dives into stories where creativity meets cryptography. 💡 Join the discussion below and tell us: What would you have done if you cracked Kryptos?

Should archivists be responsible for guarding hidden information in donated works?

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