Decoding Base64

[BB]

Hello.

i am trying to decode a block of (what i think is) base64 into text,
and i have NO idea how to begin. I'm going to paste the whole string
here, but i want to know the steps necessary to convert it to text.
i've tried the usual binary/ascii techniques, but they just seem to
loop back in to each other. what is the step by step to get from
base64 to text? this is for an evil riddle i'm trying to solve.
thanks. Becca. here's the string:


JjQ4Oy Y0ODsm NDk7JjQ4O yY0OTsm NDk7JjQ5O yY0ODsmNDg7
JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDg7
JjQ5OyY0ODsNCiY0OTsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7
JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDg7
JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7DQomNDg7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7


JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7
JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ4Ow0KJjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7
JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7
JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDk7JjQ5OyY0ODsNCiY0ODsmNDg7
JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDk7
JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDk7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDg7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7DQomNDg7


JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDg7JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDk7
JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDk7JjQ4Ow0K
JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDk7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDg7
JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDg7
JjQ5OyY0ODsNCiY0OTsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7
JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7
JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7DQomNDg7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7


JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7
JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ4Ow0KJjQ5OyY0OTsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDg7
JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDk7
JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDg7JjQ4OyY0ODsNCiY0ODsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7
JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDk7
JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7DQomNDk7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7


JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7
JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDk7JjQ4Ow0KJjQ4OyY0ODsmNDk7
JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDk7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDg7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7
JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0ODsNCiY0OTsmNDk7
JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDk7
JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7DQomNDg7


JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDg7
JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ4OyY0ODsmNDk7
JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7
JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5Ow0K

 

[Richard Heathfield]

BB said:

Hello.

i am trying to decode a block of (what i think is) base64 into text,

The answer hasn't changed since the last time you asked, over in
comp.programming, under a different name.

 

[Becca]

BB said:


The answer hasn't changed since the last time you asked, over in
comp.programming, under a different name.

--
Richard Heathfield
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29/7/1999
http://www.cpax.org.uk
email: rjh at above domain (but drop the www, obviously)

thank you for replying (again). however, you did not answer my
question. so if it's not base64, then what is it? i want to know HOW
to decode that string into plain text. obvisouly, it's not base64,
because what you gave me was ascii, not text. text meaning, words in a
sentence, much like what we are each using to communicate in this
thread.



can you help me beyond anything starting with &48; &49?
Becca

 

[Richard Heathfield]

Becca said:

thank you for replying (again). however, you did not answer my
question. so if it's not base64, then what is it?

Not C. This is comp.lang.c, not crack.my.secret.code.

i want to know HOW to decode that string into plain text.

Then find out how it was encoded in the first place.

 

[Becca]

Becca said:

Not C. This is comp.lang.c, not crack.my.secret.code.


Then find out how it was encoded in the first place.

--
Richard Heathfield
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29/7/1999
http://www.cpax.org.uk
email: rjh at above domain (but drop the www, obviously)

if i knew how it was encoded, i'd know how to decode it. as explained,
i know nothing about this sort of computer speak. that's why i came
for help. you're kind of a bitter guy, aren't you? still, thanks for
your input.

Becca

 

[Kenneth Brody]

if i knew how it was encoded, i'd know how to decode it. as explained,
i know nothing about this sort of computer speak. that's why i came
for help. you're kind of a bitter guy, aren't you? still, thanks for
your input.

You say that you don't know how it was encoded, yet you started you
initial post claiming you think it's base64. Which is it?

If it's base64, then what's your C question?

If it's not base64, then what's your C question?

In either case, a 30-second test confirms that the text does
successfully decode when treated as base64 (which doesn't mean
that base64 is necessarily the required decoding), which brings
us back to my (and Richard's implied) question:

What's your C question?

--
+-------------------------+--------------------+-----------------------+
| Kenneth J. Brody | www.hvcomputer.com | #include |
| kenbrody/at\spamcop.net | www.fptech.com | <std_disclaimer.h> |
+-------------------------+--------------------+-----------------------+
Don't e-mail me at: <mailto:[email protected]>

 

[Robbie Hatley]

i am trying to decode a block of (what i think is) base64 into text,
and i have NO idea how to begin. I'm going to paste the whole string
here, but i want to know the steps necessary to convert it to text.
i've tried the usual binary/ascii techniques, but they just seem to
loop back in to each other. what is the step by step to get from
base64 to text? this is for an evil riddle i'm trying to solve.
thanks. Becca. here's the string:


JjQ4Oy Y0ODsm NDk7JjQ4O yY0OTsm NDk7JjQ5O yY0ODsmNDg7
JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDg7
JjQ5OyY0ODsNCiY0OTsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7
JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDg7
JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7DQomNDg7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7
(snip)

I don't know if that's a standard code or a proprietary code.
I notice that certain 3-character chunks appear often: "JjQ", "4Oy",
"Tsm", "Dsm", "NDg", "NDk". All lines end with "smNDg7" Perhaps
7 is a block ender. Chunks of 8 and 16 chars end in "7". I can't
crack the code off the top of my head, though.

Your best bet: grill the person or firm you got this cyphertext
from, asking them for the key, so that you may decode it into
the corresponding plaintext.

Your second best bet: Google. Search for "base64". Search for
snippets from the cyphertext. Search for anything else your
imagination cooks up which may bear on this.

Your third best bet: Ask in other newsgroups.
comp.dcom.frame-relay? misc.misc? Ask KPD on misc.misc; he might
know.

Good luck.

--
Cheers,
Robbie Hatley
Tustin, CA, USA
lone wolf intj at pac bell dot net
(put "[usenet]" in subject to bypass spam filter)
home dot pac bell dot net slant earnur slant

 

[Tak-Shing Chan]

Becca said:

Not C. This is comp.lang.c, not crack.my.secret.code.

The OP might be able to get what she wants on sci.crypt, if
she asked nicely.

[Is the above statement accurate, Richard? My impression is
that sci.crypt posters enjoy such puzzles, but I am not a poster
there so I cannot speak for them.]

Tak-Shing

 

[Flash Gordon]

You still seem to have ignored what Richard pointed out here, that this
is the wrong group.

Please don't quote peoples signatures. You should only quote the
portions of a message you are responding to.

if i knew how it was encoded, i'd know how to decode it. as explained,
i know nothing about this sort of computer speak. that's why i came
for help. you're kind of a bitter guy, aren't you? still, thanks for
your input.

I've no idea what Richard has said else where, but his attitude to your
posting here is hardly surprising. What do you think your local computer
store would tell you if you took a printout of that code in and asked
how to decode it? Round where I live they would look surprised and would
not have a clue.

If you don't know how it is coded ask the person you got it from. Either
that or study cryptography and learn how to crack it.

Your question has absolutely nothing to do with C so it does not belong
here.

 

[Becca]

i am trying to decode a block of (what i think is) base64 into text,
and i have NO idea how to begin. I'm going to paste the whole string
here, but i want to know the steps necessary to convert it to text.
i've tried the usual binary/ascii techniques, but they just seem to
loop back in to each other. what is the step by step to get from
base64 to text? this is for an evil riddle i'm trying to solve.
thanks. Becca. here's the string:


JjQ4Oy Y0ODsm NDk7JjQ4O yY0OTsm NDk7JjQ5O yY0ODsmNDg7
JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDg7
JjQ5OyY0ODsNCiY0OTsmNDk7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7
JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0OTsmNDg7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDg7
JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7JjQ5OyY0ODsmNDk7DQomNDg7JjQ4OyY0OTsmNDg7
(snip)

I don't know if that's a standard code or a proprietary code.
I notice that certain 3-character chunks appear often: "JjQ", "4Oy",
"Tsm", "Dsm", "NDg", "NDk". All lines end with "smNDg7" Perhaps
7 is a block ender. Chunks of 8 and 16 chars end in "7". I can't
crack the code off the top of my head, though.

Your best bet: grill the person or firm you got this cyphertext
from, asking them for the key, so that you may decode it into
the corresponding plaintext.

Your second best bet: Google. Search for "base64". Search for
snippets from the cyphertext. Search for anything else your
imagination cooks up which may bear on this.

Your third best bet: Ask in other newsgroups.
comp.dcom.frame-relay? misc.misc? Ask KPD on misc.misc; he might
know.

Good luck.

--
Cheers,
Robbie Hatley
Tustin, CA, USA
lone wolf intj at pac bell dot net
(put "[usenet]" in subject to bypass spam filter)
home dot pac bell dot net slant earnur slant

thank you for so much help. all good ideas, and i will pursue googling
"chunks" to see if i can determine what to do now. i hadn't thought of
that.

i apologize that i don't know what my "c" question is. i was told it
might be base64, and i went from there. after researching what base64
looks like, it seemed characteristic of that explanation, and i went
from there, fully believing i was on the right track.

i thot i was asking nice, and then i got a bit of a lashing on another
group. however, that did inspire me to ask my question in a "code
cracking" group, hoping they'll enjoy my position a little better.

if it makes you feel any better, i pretty much have no idea what you
are talking about, or what i am talking about, for that matter.

but i am learning as i go, and i now know two things: #1 i will never
be a computer programmer (not as if there was a chance in the first
place) and #2 i do respect your knowledge. it's what seperates you,
the l337, from me, the n008. (P.S. i know i am not allowed to use l337
speak as a n008, but it was hoping to soften a few angry men). =)

i sincerely do not want anyone to decode all of it, i just want to know
what to do, look for, research, whatever. every trick i know
(ascii/binary) did not work, and i am truly lost.

hopefully, i can work my way thru with what ideas you've presented to
me now. thank you for some simply straight answers.

Becca

 

[Walter Roberson]

i am trying to decode a block of (what i think is) base64 into text,
and i have NO idea how to begin. I'm going to paste the whole string
here, but i want to know the steps necessary to convert it to text.

here's the string:

JjQ4Oy Y0ODsm NDk7JjQ4O yY0OTsm NDk7JjQ5O yY0ODsmNDg7

<OT>
base64 decode it. Take the result, and everywhere you see an
ampersand (&), follow that ampersand with a number sign (#).
Everywhere you see a carriage-return, proceed the carriage-return
with <BR> (the four characters '<' 'B' 'R' '>'.) Then
run the result through a web page viewer. Look at the
number of characters that show up -- they will remind you of
something. Count the printable ones. See if they are evenly
divisible by a certain small number that is well associated
with what is visible. This will suggest a further decoding to
you. The result of that decoding will be a string consisting
of exactly 3 different varieties of characters that suggest another
well-known code. (I looked up the decoding of that well-known code
but there is some ambiguity where to place the boundaries so I can't
immediately read off the answer.)

 

[Becca]

<OT>
base64 decode it. Take the result, and everywhere you see an
ampersand (&), follow that ampersand with a number sign (#).
Everywhere you see a carriage-return, proceed the carriage-return
with <BR> (the four characters '<' 'B' 'R' '>'.) Then
run the result through a web page viewer. Look at the
number of characters that show up -- they will remind you of
something. Count the printable ones. See if they are evenly
divisible by a certain small number that is well associated
with what is visible. This will suggest a further decoding to
you. The result of that decoding will be a string consisting
of exactly 3 different varieties of characters that suggest another
well-known code. (I looked up the decoding of that well-known code
but there is some ambiguity where to place the boundaries so I can't
immediately read off the answer.)

i will follow your directions. thank you very much.
Becca

 

[Richard Heathfield]

Tak-Shing Chan said:

On Fri, 28 Jul 2006, Richard Heathfield wrote:
This is comp.lang.c, not crack.my.secret.code.

The OP might be able to get what she wants on sci.crypt, if
she asked nicely.

[Is the above statement accurate, Richard? My impression is
that sci.crypt posters enjoy such puzzles, but I am not a poster
there so I cannot speak for them.]

It's unlikely that the request will be well-received there. The ciphertext
is indeed encoded in such a way that it /can/ be meaningfully
base-64-decoded. I posted the plaintext in comp.programming in my original
response to Becca's article there - but it isn't very enlightening
plaintext. Even assuming the base-64 decoding was a necessary step (which
is not a given, of course), it certainly does not appear to be a sufficient
step. So we're back to a ciphertext with no algorithm.

Ciphertexts with no algorithm are ten a penny, and sci.crypt regs don't take
kindly to them, for excellent reasons which many crypto-wannabees seem
unable to understand.

 

[Keith Thompson]

i apologize that i don't know what my "c" question is. i was told it
might be base64, and i went from there. after researching what base64
looks like, it seemed characteristic of that explanation, and i went
from there, fully believing i was on the right track.

That's the problem. Quite simply, you don't have a C question.

This is comp.lang.c. We discuss the C programming language. Your
question has nothing at all to do with the C programming language.
Therefore, asking it here was a mistake. An honest one, I'm sure, but
this entire discussion should have taken place somewhere else. (No, I
don't know where.) It's like asking about Star Trek trivia in
rec.skydiving.

 

[Becca]

ah. well then, i'm very sorry. that was a very nice explanation. thank
you.
Becca