Question

Advantages and disadvantages of columnar transposition

Answer 1

Transposition is often combined with other techniques such as evaluation methods. For example, a simple substitution cipher combined with a columnar transposition avoids the weakness of both. ... A disadvantage is that such ciphers are considerably more laborious and error prone than simpler ciphers.

Answer 2

In the case of columnar transposition, the message is addressed out in rows of a fixed length, and then put out again column by column, and the columns are chosen in any scrambled order.

• A keyword normally defines both the width of the rows and the permutation of the columns.
• In a regular columnar transposition cipher, any spare places are filled with nulls; in an irregular columnar transposition cipher, the areas are left blank.

• Finally, the information made off in columns in the form defined by the keyword.

A disadvantage of such ciphers is considerably more difficult and error-prone than simpler ciphers.