Giovanni Soro
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Soro was a Venetian
professional code-cracker. He was more than likely the Renaissance's first outstanding cryptanalyst and the Western world
's first great cryptanalyst. Soro is known as the father of modern cryptography
.
as cipher breaker-in-chief. They were the first secret service
specializing in codebreaking. Soro ran the cryptanalysis operation in secret as the cipher secretary. Soro's tasks included deciphering secret messages captured from the messenger spies of Venice's rivals. At the time, Venice was plagued by espionage
and subterfuge. The Council of Ten had its own ciphers changed often so as to impede competitors such as François Viète
, a French mathematician (father of modern algebraic notation).
Successful diplomacy depended on knowing the adjacent principalities' thoughts and ideas. Soro was able to decipher the ciphers of most other courts. By 1510, he had forced most of them to develop their cipher
s to a much higher degree of sophistication. As a result, the Papal Curia hired him to break codes their own cipher analysts in Rome could not. Pope Clement VII
often sent messages to Soro for cryptanalysis to test their impenetrability.
Soro's work in Venice continued to take priority over his work at the Vatican. He was Venice's principal cryptanalyst for almost 40 years. His work is among the earliest successful cryptanalysis which has been preserved. Soro's reputation was great throughout the leaders of other Italian city-states and Europe. He was so successful that he was given two assistants and a secret office in the Doge's Palace above the Sala di Segret by 1542. He made Venice a Renaissance bastion of diplomatic cryptology.
Soro wrote a treatise in Italian, French, Spanish, and Latin in the early 16th century on cryptography and solving ciphers which has since been lost.
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
professional code-cracker. He was more than likely the Renaissance's first outstanding cryptanalyst and the Western world
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
's first great cryptanalyst. Soro is known as the father of modern cryptography
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
.
Career
Soro was employed in Venice in 1506 by the Council of TenCouncil of Ten
The Council of Ten, or simply the Ten, was, from 1310 to 1797, one of the major governing bodies of the Republic of Venice whose actions were often secretive. Although some sources may indicate that the Council of Ten was generally accepted in Venice, there was some opposition...
as cipher breaker-in-chief. They were the first secret service
Secret service
A secret service describes a government agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For instance, a country may establish a secret service which has some...
specializing in codebreaking. Soro ran the cryptanalysis operation in secret as the cipher secretary. Soro's tasks included deciphering secret messages captured from the messenger spies of Venice's rivals. At the time, Venice was plagued by espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
and subterfuge. The Council of Ten had its own ciphers changed often so as to impede competitors such as François Viète
François Viète
François Viète , Seigneur de la Bigotière, was a French mathematician whose work on new algebra was an important step towards modern algebra, due to its innovative use of letters as parameters in equations...
, a French mathematician (father of modern algebraic notation).
Successful diplomacy depended on knowing the adjacent principalities' thoughts and ideas. Soro was able to decipher the ciphers of most other courts. By 1510, he had forced most of them to develop their cipher
Cipher
In cryptography, a cipher is an algorithm for performing encryption or decryption — a series of well-defined steps that can be followed as a procedure. An alternative, less common term is encipherment. In non-technical usage, a “cipher” is the same thing as a “code”; however, the concepts...
s to a much higher degree of sophistication. As a result, the Papal Curia hired him to break codes their own cipher analysts in Rome could not. Pope Clement VII
Pope Clement VII
Clement VII , born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, was a cardinal from 1513 to 1523 and was Pope from 1523 to 1534.-Early life:...
often sent messages to Soro for cryptanalysis to test their impenetrability.
Soro's work in Venice continued to take priority over his work at the Vatican. He was Venice's principal cryptanalyst for almost 40 years. His work is among the earliest successful cryptanalysis which has been preserved. Soro's reputation was great throughout the leaders of other Italian city-states and Europe. He was so successful that he was given two assistants and a secret office in the Doge's Palace above the Sala di Segret by 1542. He made Venice a Renaissance bastion of diplomatic cryptology.
Soro wrote a treatise in Italian, French, Spanish, and Latin in the early 16th century on cryptography and solving ciphers which has since been lost.