Info to decipher secret message in sculpture at CIA HQ sells for close to 1M, according to RR Auction of Boston

The archive containing the solution to the final encrypted message of the Kryptos sculpture sold for $963,000 at RR Auction in Boston. This sculpture, dedicated in 1990, has captivated cryptography enthusiasts, with three of its four messages already decoded. The anonymous buyer will meet with artist Jim Sanborn, who has interacted with many aspiring cryptanalysts over the years, to discuss the codes and charts associated with the unresolved fourth message, K4. Sanborn began charging $50 for inquiries about K4 due to the volume of requests he received. He aims for the new owner to preserve the message's secrets and foster ongoing public interest.

The auction faced challenges when two cryptographers discovered original scrambled texts in the Smithsonian, but it ultimately included the entire archive. Sanborn emphasized that while the texts were found, they do not hold the key to deciphering K4. His public sculptures include a memorial for the 2019 mass shooting in Odessa, Texas.