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Part of the daily key
To enhance the cryptographic strength of the machine, the Fialka has
a punched card reader at the bottom left. Every day, a new small piece
of paper with a series of punched holes would be entered in the drawer
of the card reader.
The functionality of the card reader can be compared with the
Enigma Steckerbrett,
albeit easier to use and cryptographically stronger.
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Not many original punched key cards have survived as - per protocol -
they were all destroyed immediately after use.
So far, we've only seen one original card,
which is shown in the image on the right. Many thanks to
Tom Perera
[2]
(US) for supplying us with this card.
In the image it is clearly visible that the card was torn from a stack,
as the top part is missing.
The number 23 in the top left corner refers to the day of the year.
The key cards were changed daily and they were created by the
Russians for all countries of the Warsaw Pact.
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Each country had its own unique stacks of cards, each valid for one month.
The stacks were created by the Russians, for one year in advance.
Each day, the Fialka operator would tear a card (with the number
corresponding to the day) from the stack and place it in the card reader.
In situations where no key card was used, a metal triangle should be used
instead. It forces the identity matrix to be used.
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Most Fialka machines found on the surplus market, are supplied with a metal
triangle in the card reader. By default, this triangle replaces the key card
by forcing the identity matrix to be used. This means that A
becomes A, B becomes B, etc.
Per protocol, the key card was removed at the end of the day (or session)
and replaced by the metal triangle. They key card was then destroyed.
This way, no useful information was left behind in the machine.
Furthermore, it allowed the machine to be used with a less secure key (i.e.
without using the key card), e.g. when exchanging messages with other
members of the Warsaw Pact.
If the metal triangle is missing from your machine, you may want to
create a replica of it. An accurate drawing with the precise dimensions
is available for download below.
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Although it is perfectly possible to operate the Fialka with the
metal triangle placed in the card reader (see above), it is
best demonstrated with suitable key cards in the drawer.
As nearly all original key cards have been destroyed, you might want
to get a pair of matching reproductions.
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In 2007 Günter Hütter in Austria created a series of replica
key cards that can be ordered directly from him. The cards are sold in
sets of 2 and work perfectly with every Fialka we have tried.
We should like to thank Günter for sharing the results of his experiments.
It is, of course, also possible to create your own key cards. In case you
want to give it a try, we've worked out the precise dimensions in the drawing
below. The drawing is also available for download below
as a 1:1 PDF file.
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Below is a hi-res drawing of a key card, just in case you want to
create your own. The drawing is also available as a 1:1 PDF file
at the bottom of this page. Using that should allow you to print
the cards at actual size.
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Universal key cards. (836KB PDF file)
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This is a single page that contains four blank universal key cards.
Print this page at actual size (100%) and cut the four cards apart.
Next create the alignment holes and the actual key holes.
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Sample key card # 014. (65KB PDF file)
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This file is similar to the one above, but rather that showing all
possible hole locations, it prints the holes for the sample key card
number 014 as printed in the German Fialka Manual.
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Metal test triangle. (12KB PDF file)
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The metal test triangle should be present with your Fialka.
It should be used when no key card is present in the card reader.
If the key card is missing, you might want to download this file
and print it on sturdy paper (e.g. 150 or 200 grams).
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© Copyright 2009-2013, Paul Reuvers & Marc Simons. Last changed: Thursday, 16 September 2010 - 11:42 CET
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