Ciphers and random ciphers

• How much easier is it to crack a caesar cipher than a random substitution cipher? Can you put a number on it?
• It is so much easier. Probably 3 times easier.
• Was it difficult to crack a Random Substitution cipher? Did it take longer than you thought? shorter? Why?
• Yes it took longer and was more difficult. It was harder because I could not just shift the alphabet over to find out I had to figure out each letter individually. 
• Any encryption cipher is an algorithm for transforming plaintext into ciphertext. What about the other way around? Can you write out an algorithm for cracking a Caesar cipher? What about a random substitution cipher?
• Yes, it is possible to make an algorithm that shifts the alphabet until there becomes a recognizable message from the encrypted message. Same with the random substitution.  
• Recall that in RFC 3271, “The Internet is for Everyone” Vint Cerf wrote the following. What did he mean by “cryptographic technology?” What does it mean to you now?
• I think that he meant that there is a type of technology central to creating passwords and cracking them. It is along the lines of cybersecurity. It means now ensuring that the internet is safe.