Abstract: A secure communications method comprises the steps of: fragmenting a digital message into a series of fragments, at least some of the fragments being smaller or larger than the smallest base unit of data used by the communications network: carrying out a reversible operation on the fragment stream, sending the fragment stream through at least one digital communication network; and reversing the operation carried out on the fragment stream to reproduce the digital message. The use of some fragments smaller or larger than the smallest base unit of data used by the network ensures that some of the fragments are non-symbolic. That is, the fragments do not correspond to symbols, symbols being the smallest unit of data used by communications network. Thus, frequency analysis attacks are thwarted.