ENIGMA cipher machines have endured in the minds of history buffs and cryptography hobbyists for more than a century, and a RSAC 2026 preview highlights how the Nazis’ hubris and missteps still offer cybersecurity lessons.
The device was created by German Arthur Scherbius in 1918 to protect information across telegraph lines, and it was later modified by the Nazis before Polish cryptographers cracked the code in 1932; those findings reached British Intelligence in 1939 and were used at Bletchley Park against the Nazi army. Senior editor Becky Bracken notes that Marc Sachs, who collects Enigma machines, estimates production at between 35,000 and 40,000, with only about 350–360 remaining.
At RSAC 2026 he will discuss the Nazi missteps and the collapse of their communications security, drawing parallels with modern supply chains and material constraints. The RSAC 2026 Conference runs from 23–26 March 2026 in San Francisco, and Sachs plans to have an Enigma machine available for attendees to examine.