Info to decipher secret message in Kryptos sculpture at CIA headquarters sells for close to $1M

A nearly $1 million bid has secured the solution to one of the CIA’s most enduring mysteries – the final unsolved code embedded in the iconic Kryptos sculpture that has puzzled cryptanalysts for over three decades.

The archive containing the decryption key to the last unsolved message was sold to an anonymous bidder for $963,000, Boston-based RR Auction announced Friday. The collection includes documents and coding charts related to the 10-foot copper sculpture that has stood at CIA headquarters in Virginia since 1990.

Artist Jim Sanborn, now 80, created the distinctive S-shaped copper screen that resembles paper emerging from a fax machine. One side features a series of staggered alphabets that serve as the key to decoding four encrypted messages on the opposite side. While three messages – known as K1, K2, and K3 – have been solved over the years, the fourth segment, K4, has remained impenetrable to even the most skilled code breakers.

The winning bidder will receive a private meeting with Sanborn to review the codes, charts, and artistic intentions behind the final message. The package also includes information about an alternate paragraph the artist calls K5.

“The purchaser’s long-term stewardship plan is being developed,” RR Auction said in its announcement, suggesting efforts to maintain the puzzle’s integrity while allowing enthusiasts to continue their attempts at cracking the code.

Sanborn’s decision to sell the solution comes after decades of engagement with would-be cryptanalysts. The sculpture has attracted a dedicated following, with one person contacting Sanborn regularly for the past 20 years in attempts to solve K4. The volume of submissions eventually led the artist to implement a $50 fee per attempt.

The auction faced a potential setback in September when two Kryptos enthusiasts discovered Sanborn’s original scrambled texts in the artist’s papers at the Smithsonian. However, the sale proceeded with a modified approach, expanding from offering only the K4 solution to selling Sanborn’s entire archive.

“The important distinction is that they discovered it. They did not decipher it,” Sanborn told The Associated Press, clarifying the situation. “They do not have the key. They don’t have the method with which it’s deciphered.”

Kryptos has achieved legendary status among cryptography enthusiasts since its installation. The first three messages were deciphered in 1999 and 2000, with one reportedly solved by a CIA analyst and another by a computer scientist from California. The decrypted portions contain poetic passages referencing the sculpture’s location and historical references, including one segment that translates to: “Does Langley know about this? They should: it’s buried out there somewhere.”

The sculpture represents one of Sanborn’s most famous works in a career spanning numerous public art installations. His portfolio includes approximately 50 public sculptures, including a memorial commemorating the 2019 mass shooting in Odessa, Texas.

The extraordinary price paid for the archive underscores the cultural and intellectual significance of the Kryptos puzzle. For more than three decades, it has captured the imagination of professional cryptanalysts, amateur puzzle solvers, and intelligence community members alike.

While the solution now rests with the anonymous buyer, the legacy of Kryptos as one of the world’s most fascinating unsolved codes enters a new chapter. The auction’s outcome suggests the new owner may maintain the puzzle’s mystique while continuing to engage with the community of sleuths who have dedicated countless hours to unraveling its secrets.