Observed Signal · Sep 25, 2026 · Technical Release · Source: techcrunch · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
AI Models Crack Unsolved Enigma Messages
Two cryptanalysts used AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic to crack two long-unsolved Enigma machine messages that had resisted decryption for years. Carter Leffen employed OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra to analyze a database of Enigma messages, conducting archival research, building a simulator, and recovering the plaintext of a message unsolved since 2005. Frode Weirerud, who maintains the Crypto Cellar website, validated Leffen's solution. Another cryptanalyst, Jack Willis, used Anthropic's Claude Opus 5 to break a different message. Weirerud noted that only seven unbroken Enigma messages remain, and AI's success in this domain demonstrates its growing capabilities in complex research and problem-solving tasks, which could have implications for automated analysis and data processing in various industries.
Demonstrates the advanced research and problem-solving capabilities of frontier AI models, relevant to AI-driven automation in AdTech and beyond.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Two unsolved Enigma messages were decoded using OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra and Anthropic's Claude Opus 5.
- Carter Leffen used OpenAI's Astra to decode a message unsolved since 2005.
- Jack Willis used Anthropic's Claude Opus 5 to break a different message.
- Frode Weirerud validated the solutions on his website Crypto Cellar.
- Only seven unbroken Enigma messages remain.
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mapped“Carter Leffen, a developer, simply told OpenAI’s newest model, Astra, to search a database of Enigma messages for an unbroken message and de...”
“Another cryptanalyst, Jack Willis, reached out to Weirerud, saying he had used Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5 model to break a different unsolved...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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GPT-6 Astra Cracks WWI ADFGVX Cipher and WWII Enigma
A developer named 'Prinz' claims OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra AI model has decrypted a German military radio message from November 1918, which had been encrypted using the ADFGVX cipher and previously considered unreadable. The model reportedly solved it by trying the keyword 'Truppenverschiebung', which was previously thought to be used only from December 1918. The decrypted message reports the arrival of an English cruiser at Sevastopol, which was cross-referenced with historical logs. However, the scientific community has not yet independently verified this solution. Additionally, another developer, Carter Leffen, used GPT-6 Astra to decrypt a German Enigma message from July 1941. With a known crib, the model took ten hours and 14.8 million key checks, and this solution has been independently confirmed by the Cryptocellar archive.
OpenAI's AI Agents Crack Major Math Problem in 88 Hours
In early September 2026, OpenAI deployed a swarm of AI agents using an unreleased, more powerful model than GPT-6 Astra to tackle the Millennium Prize Problems. Within 88 hours, roughly 100 agents produced a proposed proof for a related Navier-Stokes problem, later verified using the Lean proof assistant. This was triggered by a rumor about a rival lab's progress, which turned out to be a misattribution of work by NYU professor Tristan Buckmaster and Anthropic employee Levent Alpöge. OpenAI researcher Noam Brown said the effort cost millions of dollars and predicted similar capabilities would become accessible within a year. The article argues this event signals a shift in scientific research toward resource allocation and AI agent supervision, raising questions about the future of work and concentration of power in leading AI labs.
Anthropic AI Finds Flaws in Weakened AES Variant
Anthropic's Claude Mythos Preview reportedly discovered vulnerabilities in a weakened variant of the AES encryption standard and produced an improved attack on Hawk, a post-quantum candidate. Reporting says Mythos found the AES weakness 200–1,000 times faster than human cryptography experts and largely developed the AES exploit autonomously; two human researchers then spent about a month verifying the method. Hawk developers reportedly confirmed the attack technique could work. Anthropic researcher Nicholas Carlini said modern AI models are now performing advanced cryptographic research that earlier models did not. While widely deployed encryption systems are not believed to be in immediate danger, observers warn the findings raise long-term concerns for internet security, privacy, and the robustness of future post-quantum standards. The episode highlights how rapidly AI capabilities are advancing in security-sensitive domains.
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