A sculpture at CIA headquarters has kept a coded message secret for 35 years

Kryptos is a sculpture by artist Jim Sanborn on the grounds of CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Dedicated on November 3, 1990, it carries four encrypted messages. "Of these four messages, the first three have been solved, while the fourth message remains one of the most famous unsolved codes in the world."

Sanborn has released clues to the fourth passage over the years. In 2010 he stated that letters 64 to 69 "become 'BERLIN' after decryption"; in 2014 he revealed that the next five letters "become 'CLOCK'." He added: "You'd better delve into that particular clock," then noted, "There are several really interesting clocks in Berlin." In 2025 he confirmed the plaintext referred to the World Clock. Sanborn has also "hinted that a fifth coded message will reveal itself after the first four are solved." The sculpture's letters are cut from copper plates, and three more decades of professional and amateur cryptanalysts have not cracked the final passage.

Previously:

• CIA Kryptos sculptor disgusted by flood of wrong AI solutions
• NSA cracked CIA "Kryptos" sculpture before CIA