28 February 2020

Makhovik (T-230) secured CIS PSK2/1200Bd

This post is an update and a correction to a previous post to which reference. I want to thank an anonymous reader who in his comment to that post suggested to use differential PSK2 decoding.
In that post I verified the use of Makhovik crypto system (T-230 bundle ciphering device for teleprinter and data connections) in CIS-12 transmissions as well as in CIS PSK2/1200Bd (CIS-1200) transmissions. One of Makhovik's features that can be considered as a signature, in addition to the characteristic 30-bit Message Indicators, is the use of 511-bit pseudo-random sequences generated by the primitive polynomial x^9+x^5+1. These sequences follow the ITU Recommendation O.153 [1] and are primarily intended for error measurements at bitrates up to 14400bps  and synchronization purposes (188-110B "39-tone parallel mode" too uses that pattern).
I searched just these 511-bit sequences in three different CIS-1200 recordings (files psk2_a, psk2_b, and psk2_c) and the search was successful in all the three files but I did not find the right sequences, and then the generator polynomial x^9+x^5+1, in the _a recording (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1
As said above, an anonymous reader suggested to use differential decoding for the _a file: well, I took his advice and results are interesting: as shown in Fig. 2, after the differential decoding the bitstream have the right 511-bit sequences generated by the polynomial x^9+x^5+1 !

Fig. 2 - psk2_a diff. decoded bitstream
This is a further indication in favor of the use of  Makovik encryption with the CIS-1200 waveform,  in these cases the modem T-230-1A (a single channel version of T-230) should have been used. 
As usual, further recordings are needed.


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