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Mechanical cipher machines
- this page is a stub
Kryha was a series of cipher machines, developed by Ukrainian-born
entrepreneur Alexander von Kryha, 1 in the periode before and after
World War II. In the period following WWII, Kryha devices were sold under
the Haller/Meurer brand. Kryha devices were cryptographically not very strong.
William Friedman – the dean of American
cryptology –
could solve it in less than three hours with pencil and paper —
and were only popular because of good marketing.
Around 1930 he was declared bankrupt.
In 1954, Alexander von Kryha ran out of money again and was imprisoned
after stealing a rental car. A year later, in 1955, he committed suicide.
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His name was originally Alexander Kryha, but after his move to Germany,
he added the affix 'von' (of), probably in an attempt to give himself
an aristrocratic touch.
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- Standard
This is the standard model, housed in a shiny art deco
metal enclosure, 1
and is operated with a hand crank. Usually stowed in a leather carrying case
with red velvet lining. Some units were supplied in a wooden storage
case with velvet lining.
- Liliput
This is the pocket version of the above machine, in the form factor of
a standard pocket watch of the era. It weighs 300 grams and is compatible
with the Kryha Standard. The Kryha Liliput is extremely rare.
- Elektro
This is the electomechanical equivalent of the above two models. Is was
connected between two electric typewriters, using one as the input device
and one as the output device (printer). It is uncertain whether this version
was ever taken into production.
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One unit is known in a a green hamerite enclosure,
but it is likely that this was a one-off production.
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- Kryha - description and operating instructions (German)
Undated. 12 pages.
- Kryha-Elektro-Schreibende, advert (German)
Date unknown.
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© Crypto Museum. Created: Monday 15 June 2020. Last changed: Wednesday, 05 November 2025 - 11:50 CET.
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