Ultra was the designation adopted by British military intelligence in June 1941 for wartime signals intelligence obtained by breaking high-level encrypted enemy radio and teleprinter communications at the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) at Bletchley Park. Ultra eventually became the standard designation among the western Allies for all such intelligence. The name arose because the intelligence obtained was considered more important than that designated by the highest British security classification then used and so was regarded as being Ultra Secret. Several other cryptonyms had been used for such intelligence.
Enigma machine out of its wooden box
Lorenz SZ42 machine with covers removed
Part of Japanese PURPLE machine
A typical Bletchley intercept sheet, before decryption and translation.
Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is the act and field of intelligence-gathering by interception of signals, whether communications between people or from electronic signals not directly used in communication. Signals intelligence is a subset of intelligence collection management. As classified and sensitive information is usually encrypted, signals intelligence may necessarily involve cryptanalysis. Traffic analysis—the study of who is signaling to whom and in what quantity—is also used to integrate information, and it may complement cryptanalysis.
RAF Menwith Hill, a large site in the United Kingdom, part of ECHELON and the UKUSA Agreement in 2005
A German message intercepted by the British during World War II, signaling Germany's unconditional surrender
Zimmermann Telegram, as decoded by Room 40 in 1917
A Mark 2 Colossus computer. The ten Colossi were the world's first programmable electronic computers, and were built to break the German codes.