Markovian Parallax Denigrate-Breaking the cipher
Markovian Parallax Denigrate - Cryptography
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Markovian Parallax Denigrate - Cryptography
Last updated
Hello cyber peeps. Do you want to explore a cyber mystery hole? If yes, keep reading on.
Make of this, what you will
This is a deviation from the technical articles, I usually write, since I wanted to delve into something more mysterious and sinister. This mystery, like many other Internet mysteries, has intrigued me and what interests me, is that it is a cold mystery and has not found closure yet.
Have you ever seen Facebook posts or Youtube comments, usually consisting of gibberish, with random words strung together? I am sure most of you have. Everyone merely brushes this off, as the work of an obscure bot, who tries to spam comments. In theory, this is done, after the bot spends hours going through numerous articles and documents.
Spammy content has always been present since the dawn of the Internet, but on August 5, 1997, Usenet users were left scratching their heads, when blocks of spam, began appearing in their feed.
What is Usenet, you may ask?
Simply put, Usenet is like your retro type Discord, where users can be added to a ‘server’ known as a newsgroup. Members of newsgroups can send and receive messages while sending them to other newsgroups too. It was based on UNIX dial-up network Architecture and functions as a message board. It is close to what we have now as 4Chan.
The blocks had a common heading, titled “Markovian Parallax Denigrate”, with unmeaningful words, used out of context. The messages were sent from a single entity, Miss Susan Lindauer. Being a network of newsgroups, speculation began to grow the reason behind it. Who was Susan Lindauer? and why spam everyone?
Some dismissed it as an elaborate hoax, while some were determined to get to the root.
Markovian Denigrate? More like an incomprehensible ciphertext
Unlike the extensive information that could be gained today by doxxing someone on the Internet, mystery enthusiasts came together to uncover that Lindauer, was, a former journalist, who worked for U.S. News & World Report, between 1990 and 1991. Since the Denigrate mystery became popular, she was arrested in 2004 after allegedly serving as an agent of Saddam Hussein’s government. She was a suspect since the message had been sent from her email domain.
Seems too sketchy behind the scenes. So let us break this down, bit by bit
A Markov chain is a text generator, that strings together words, that are associated or related to a given subject. They are used, to generate comments on the Internet and spam emails. Since they have a distinguishable style, humans can easily identify them and dismiss them simply because they are spam
At first glance, the message looks like a bot had gone haywire, but it was not the case. People on the internet started speculating that the message was in fact, a cipher that could be used to decipher something else. All conventional algorithms failed to give a plausible meaning for the strange message. Wild theories emerged, ranging from CIA Agents using these messages as methods of secret communication and that a World Order (Read: The Illuminati), was behind these.
Arguments can be made about why the CIA would make message transmissions on Usenet, which is a public message board. It would visibly be accessible to all and attempts will be made to decipher its meaning. So we can tick that motive off.
There is a huge following, behind this mystery. Sort of a cult. The storyline took an unexpected turn, when the Wikipedia Page, dedicated to the mystery, was taken down, when Lindauer’s name began to make the rounds, relating her to the mystery. Her arrest followed soon after.
It is because, she is the only link, that we have towards this mystery and the fact that the message block was sent from her email domain. Another point to note is that previously, she attempted to whistleblow the miscreants behind the Lockerbie Air Bombing Incident of 1988, that took place in Scotland. This hoax was a movement plotting her downfall and potentially silencing her.
Miss Lindauer,the person that holds secrets?
As with fame, innocent people also get caught up in the act. They may not be remotely involved in the mystery. Several women, named Susan Lindauer were spammed, with questions relating to the mystery and whether they were the ones behind the prank, but as with everyone, we are waiting for the light, at the end of the tunnel.
There may be higher powers, I assume, that do not want her to talk. Well, we will leave that for another day.
Maybe it was someone’s way of having fun or there could be something significant behind the meaning of the message, but we can be sure, that it has carved itself a niche in Internet lore and will keep
Thank you, for spending your precious time, digesting this article and I mean it.
I will be back with an article on SIEM and its importance in enhancing network security.
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