Did GPT-6 Astra crack an old Enigma message? The evidence is still being checked
Enigma（en-IG-mə）
A machine that changed letters into hidden letters.
crib（crib）
A guessed word used as a clue during a cipher search.
plaintext（PLAYN-text）
The readable message before encryption.
An AI solving an old cipher sounds like a simple breakthrough story. The harder question is what was actually solved, and what remains to be checked. Crypto Cellar Research says Carter Leffer contacted its author on September 15, 2026, to validate a break of an Enigma message. The story drew 498 points and 343 comments on Hacker News. Those numbers show attention, not proof.
What happened
The target was MVUEH, an 82-letter German Army message sent on July 10, 1941. It had resisted solution since 2005. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, asked GPT-6 Astra to try messages that remained unsolved. According to the report, the model selected MVUEH as the most promising target.
The report says Astra noticed a possible link with another message, SIPVX. Researchers had solved SIPVX in 2017. Astra then focused on ROSENOW ROSENOW, a repeated place name, as a possible clue.
Why the background matters
The two messages did not use the same machine settings. SIPVX used wheel order 512, matching the daily key used by other messages that day. MVUEH used wheel order 253. The report also says the MVUEH transcription contained errors. A rare left-wheel turnover at the 72nd letter made the search harder.
This matters because a cipher is not solved by producing readable-looking words alone. The settings must reproduce the complete message. A useful clue can narrow the search, but the final result still needs checking.
Why the claim is interesting
Crypto Cellar says GPT-6 Astra did more than suggest an answer. It chose a target, compared historical messages, and suspected that two messages were related. It also built an Enigma simulator and an Enigma Bombe for the search. The report says the software was written in Python and C++.
If the account holds up, the notable capability is the workflow. The model connected archive research, a historical hypothesis, code construction, and repeated testing. That is different from answering one narrow question. It is also why the human review matters. A model can produce a convincing answer before anyone knows whether the answer is real.
What has been checked
The Crypto Cellar author says the recovered key and plaintext matched. MVUEH contains 82 letters, while SIPVX contains 94. The report says the difference includes a mistake that changed Bitte to Btte. It also says the sender signature Waschbusch was repeated in SIPVX.
These details support the reported relationship between the messages. They do not, by themselves, prove every claim about the model’s independence. The original article is a report from the archive’s researcher, not an OpenAI announcement.
What remains unknown
The author says the GPT-6 Astra logs are still being analyzed. The original image of received message number 172 has not been located. It is also unclear whether Astra accessed digitized Bundesarchiv material or found the references elsewhere.
That leaves two separate questions. Is the recovered key and plaintext correct? And which parts of the research did the model perform without detailed human direction? The source provides a strong account, but the second question needs more evidence.
What to watch next
The next useful evidence would be fuller logs, the original scan, and a reproducible record of the search. Independent researchers should be able to test the recovered key and plaintext. Clear notes about human decisions would also show how much autonomy the system had.
For now, the careful summary is not that AI solved every Enigma problem. It is that a report describes GPT-6 Astra carrying out a long chain of research and coding around one old message. Hacker News gave the story 498 points and 343 comments, showing strong interest but not confirming the result. Read the original Crypto Cellar Research report for the source account.
How GPT-6 Astra reportedly read an old secret message
📰 Full story: Did GPT-6 Astra crack an old Enigma message? The evidence is still being checked
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, reportedly used GPT-6 Astra to solve a message unread since 2005.
cipher（SY-fer）
A way to hide a written message.
crib（crib）
A guessed word used as a search clue.
key（key）
Settings that help turn hidden letters into readable text.
💡 The gist
- GPT-6 Astra chose an old German military message.
- It used a place name as a clue.
- The result looks checked, but the full work is still under review.
What happened?
The message was called MVUEH. It was sent on July 10, 1941. It had 82 letters. People had not solved it since 2005.
A researcher asked GPT-6 Astra to try unsolved messages. The AI chose MVUEH. It then studied another message called SIPVX. People had solved SIPVX in 2017.
SIPVX repeated the place name ROSENOW. The AI guessed that ROSENOW might help with MVUEH. A guessed word used to search a cipher is called a crib. A clue can reduce the number of possible settings.
What did the AI do?
The report says GPT-6 Astra built software that copied the Enigma machine. It also built a Bombe to search for settings. It used Python and C++.
The report says the recovered key made the message readable. The key used wheel order 253. SIPVX used wheel order 512. The two messages were almost the same, even though their lengths differed.
The report gives reasons for the difference. One word was copied as Btte instead of Bitte. The sender signature was also repeated in SIPVX.
What is still unclear?
The Crypto Cellar author is still studying the AI’s logs. The original image of message number 172 is missing. The report also does not explain clearly how Astra found every archive reference.
So two questions must stay separate. The key may be correct. The story about the AI’s independence still needs more evidence.
Hacker News gave the story 498 points and 343 comments. That shows strong interest. It does not prove the result is correct.
The report came from Crypto Cellar Research. It was not an OpenAI announcement. Read the source report for the details.
💬 An easy summary of the GPT-6 Astra cipher debate
An article says an AI solved an old Enigma message, and HN commenters disagree about what that proves. Any numbers about ability or time come from the article or commenters themselves and are not independently checked here.
- The article’s account says the AI picked an old unsolved message and tried many possibilities. A commenter says the article estimated 6–10 weeks for a human, but the AI’s real time and cost are unclear.
- Critics call this costly guessing and publicity. Supporters say lucky discoveries can still be useful, especially when a machine tackles problems people had left alone.
- AI may be especially useful when it can repeat attempts, use tools, and automatically check an answer. People still have to build that setup and supply instructions and computing power.
- The target was described as an old, weak Enigma cipher. Commenters warn that this is not the same as breaking modern strong encryption such as AES.
- People also want more credit and detail for the humans involved: why ROSENOW ROSENOW was used as a clue, why the keys changed, and how much preparation the humans provided. Some see hype or a bubble; others see a technology that can still change industry.
growing digest at 431 comments (revision 2). We fetched 300 comments and sampled 120 across the thread. These are HN users’ reports, not independently verified facts.
Did an AI read an old secret message?
📰 Full story: Did GPT-6 Astra crack an old Enigma message? The evidence is still being checked
A report says GPT-6 Astra helped read an old message that people could not read.
Enigma（en-IG-mə）
An old machine that hid written words.
clue（kloo）
Something that helps you find an answer.
key（key）
Rules that help make hidden words readable.
The old message
OpenAI makes ChatGPT.
OpenAI also made GPT-6 Astra.
An old army message was hard to read.
It was called MVUEH.
It had stayed unread since 2005.
The clue
GPT-6 Astra looked at another message.
That message had ROSENOW twice.
ROSENOW is a place name.
The AI used it as a clue.
Then it made computer tools.
The tools copied the old Enigma machine.
The AI found settings that made the letters readable.
The Crypto Cellar website says the key fit.
It also says the readable words fit.
Be careful
The website is still checking the AI’s work.
The original paper picture is still missing.
OpenAI did not publish this as its own announcement.
People on Hacker News talked about the story.
It got 498 points and 343 comments.
Those numbers show attention.
They do not prove the answer.
More people need to check the result.
Read the source report with an adult.
💬 The story about AI reading an old secret message
An article says a computer program read an old secret message. The time and ability described are claims from the article or people commenting, not facts checked here.
- The program tried many guesses. The article was reported as saying a person might need 6–10 weeks.
- Some people think this is mostly expensive guessing and advertising. Others think it is helpful when a computer works on a forgotten puzzle.
- People want to know why ROSENOW ROSENOW helped, why the keys changed, and how much humans prepared. This old weak lock is not the same as breaking today’s strongest locks.
growing digest at 431 comments (revision 2). We fetched 300 comments and sampled 120 across the thread. These are HN users’ reports, not independently verified facts.
💬 The HN debate over GPT-6 Astra’s cipher solve
HN commenters debated an article claiming that GPT-6 Astra solved an old, previously unbroken Enigma message. The dispute covers technical value, human contribution, publicity, and missing evidence. Performance and timing figures are self-reported by the article or commenters and are not independently verified here.
growing digest at 431 comments (revision 2). We fetched 300 comments and sampled 120 across the thread. These are HN users’ reports, not independently verified facts.