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Kryptos K4 Decoded: Auction Plans Jeopardized by Discovery

10/24/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Jarett Kobek discovered the Kryptos K4 plaintext from clues in Smithsonian archives, not by codebreaking, jeopardizing Jim Sanborn's planned auction.
After a friendly initial call, tensions rose when Kobek and Richard Byrne refused to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) proposed by the auction house.
Legal threats prompted Kobek to contact journalist John Schwartz, who published the plaintext on October 16.

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Story summary

Jarett Kobek discovered the Kryptos K4 plaintext from clues in Smithsonian archives, not by codebreaking, jeopardizing Jim Sanborn's planned auction.
After a friendly initial call, tensions rose when Kobek and Richard Byrne refused to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) proposed by the auction house.
Legal threats prompted Kobek to contact journalist John Schwartz, who published the plaintext on October 16.