Kryptos
Kryptos is a sculpture by Jim Sanborn in copper, petrified wood, stone, water, and plants. It was dedicated in 1990 and situated at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. It contains at least five ciphers. The first three, K1 - K3, were solved in the 1990s, though it has been said that they were not solved as intended. K4 is currently among the most famous unsolved ciphers in the world. The ciphertext of K5 is said to emerge with the solution of K4, so it is both unknown and unsolved.
As of June 2026 I have put forth candidates for the K4 plaintext and partial K5 ciphertext, and the work is ongoing. The buttons below will walk you through the process and reasoning that led here.
FORCE REGRANT UNSECURE
LEAST NORTHEAST
HEAT LESSER
DISCOVERY NOTED
SEALS BERLIN
CLOCK FORCE INCREASE
ENDEAR LOVE
UEOSFOMJDDEYUMIOISIRYHDRGEBHHKEQ
___________HXУOЫЙAOЦЧMXЧЙЧДПУCФЮЗ
XHЖPБЫЖЦФЪБCЧPПMЦЧШTXККЖПЩЗПЙXГO
K4 Original Matrix
Grappling with what I believe to be the “original matrix” of K4:
RATEHIXSJWFOEXJPSWDPEGARWXBFGUVWFBMRGUYYAGFA?W?QVHATSLHMCQ?JBYYTNXDXEAOZGMPCUFVAAQIZBHSVQSFAYNQ?DQ
QFMOLYYIUHDJWEFXUCRNB?RQMCEDUMYHSGTWLMD?QMKKADSDQZFDEJJDQYYVJEAJ?YFSZGBCYZMDDEGTQMAOJLAUDUKHJOXIWA
XDCTSLSJ?CGBYUGPKZHHWNFHLAWKFTOTQVMXJPXKUCPVFKTYOFWIMFBVCMVFFQFBKVWDUYLGMGPYLQTLHFQTVAKXUMFJRZYAIQ
STNCKWTEVJIFXPSLMOPLDHDMEEHSUODNXMCDBNHAMMGYGEVEZABXLPWRXXQOUMG?RREVWNJ?GBWNWM?EOECVSQEGDXUDNAORGM
JB?YHFCTQDKAYEICUSWM?OXTSIJ?DLPPGQLAWTWUQTNGHUWZIWARMNNCSKWDAPQAZYGGKHBR?IHHXZBNLRLUIJRXAVLYGX?W?H
OTRNLIMDRTZXMSZSKCXBFZULFRKNKVGG?JRFFIHAILM?YLVERDUUSPZJUZYYFIJQRHUFFCYZEFWTQTOTCARPOF?OFSWNPCADER
ZAIV?FZ?CPPVTLMKMNCFDIDNUEGTBGNNALCPKAENS?ETMCWWVVL?ZDBSNAOSGQQSZRQNVWNMKD?IVJCGJRW?TJYZKVX??LWTSA
MZRQFKBELULGNNEBPOPWRAYOKLIJ?DHAZSYUDRKHTEQDZSXKWG?OEYJASCIZVUCAUKSHMVGTNPNXYKNIFVYSLBGCBAOGEJRDVQ
CIVVGJYATMSJWOYAQJ?KINBYVBOTETCWV?QPYZZLGZMXUFNFYMIZKVEWYJQDLVHJQZUCTSBHWVFLHEYBEGWJRCBNK?UKWRU?WH
PFUA?DDCDDFEM?JCJKOEESVQDW?ZJC?BYAUFCPR?BICGAUQWATOFOQYXMLHURYCCJPRJLIRFXLKNOIUYIZVK?BJTPH?JBQAEDT
XWDKE?AKOZVZSCVKDVBSBKCXUYCYTGOTGNAHOIVTYO?HFMWVEITKCPOCCCOVCGNXDIKF?FXPCRZMZBWJBHQVDULJBPAHTCFWXO
ONTJORNWZHMEO?TWRNIIPWBKQJLGINIP?GWLWBTBGJRKSHZLSGQUJQRJNNILK?HVPLRATKKUSKPGSIHPFJULUVSRQNCNVNEXOJ
JMIOFAHAVZCZYILCC?BFYY?MMKZQRZRILPSAXXIFTSAV?QGEOQDMDOFFGQXCZRWDWIYRBDNMXVXMTRYEUBMCRGIPATA?QGWOUS
?PJZSDRQQXJKNTXA?MWBJVTEQCUUZVHGWIHNPARBLOKMSVHMSIMTVZAK?INPEYNVHAVYTG?CBGPSJHHSQEEPK?AXWCQLPZXQXD
EWDVEVUUCYBWT?CIU?YFQGWPMNPVKULLXZWZLIASBIZEVYPTZOPIRRQFYGSCROSYCDYNIYAYAKOIDAO?EKIYDGDBLJMJNXQPEP
XHXQUUMAZGFVNIZBMDSDXQRYTPEQBSJ?VVVITHGJKYVYYSYBELTEUUWDVMTJUSXS?ZJGZSDORCBOPDWHWGZZZLYIJUEBHVHJWW
AEKVQPOCELGEECJKWSIPTXKMQ?GCDU?XPOLIOBQMVVDOTQJXIAAJHZGPLBMWVNYATMBKOLTIHF?WXZH?SAWUBSSUNLILR?LPBY
This is assembled from 17 ciphertext layers, and I’m convinced the K4 plaintext is extracted from it. In order to avoid cherry picking there must be a structure that emerges.
- Zackery Belanger
02 March 2026
Kryptos Resources
I’m sharing a PDF that has the Kryptos ciphertext and table with a font and kerning that closely matches the sculpture.