Codebusters

Welcome to Codebusters! In this event, teams will cryptanalyze and decode encrypted messages using cryptanalysis techniques for historical and modern advanced ciphers.

The information below should not be interpreted as an extension of the rules. You can find free online copies of the current rules for download on the 2023 Rules page of the Science Olympiad website. The official rules in the current Rules Manual take precedence.

Resources & Links

• Cipher Summary - Use this link to find a breakdown of the Codebusters ciphers by Division & Tournament Type
• American Cryptogram Association - has many examples of Aristocrats and Patristocrats, as well as some Xenocrypts
• Recommended Book Resources
• Lesson Plan on Cryptography 

Science Olympiad Store Materials 

• Codebusters Digital Download DVD

Practice Problems & Tests

• Codebusters Test Generator and Help Guide from NCSO
• Codebusters Exam Archive
• Additional practice problems 
• Codebusters Activities
• Cryptoclub practice problems
• Practice Test - 2021 UT Austin Invitational
• Practice Test - 2021 Troy High School Invitational
• Practice Test - 2021 BirdSO Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 National Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 UChicago Invitational

Event Supervisor Resources 

In addition to the resources on the Event Supervisors page, Codebusters Event Supervisors should be sure to use the following resources:

• Practice Exam Writing Tool and Training Video
• Codebusters Exam Writer
• Event Logistics Manual 

Career Connections

• CareerOneStop - Intelligence Analyst
• US Bureau of Labor Statistics - Information Security Analysts
• Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security Career Cluster Information