Cicada 3301

Cicada 3301 logo

Cicada 3301 is the name given to three sets of puzzles posted under the name "3301" online between 2012 and 2014. The first puzzle started on January 4, 2012,[1] on 4chan[2] and ran for nearly a month. A second round of puzzles began one year later on January 4, 2013, and then a third round following the confirmation of a fresh clue posted on Twitter on January 4, 2014.[3][4] The third puzzle remains unsolved. The stated intent was to recruit "intelligent individuals" by presenting a series of puzzles to be solved; no new puzzles were published on January 4, 2015. A new clue was posted on Twitter on January 5, 2016.[5][6] Cicada 3301 posted their last verified OpenPGP-signed message in April 2017, denying the validity of any unsigned puzzle.[7]

The puzzles focused heavily on data security, cryptography, steganography, and Internet anonymity.[8][9][10] It has been called "the most elaborate and mysterious puzzle of the Internet age",[11] and is listed as one of the "top 5 eeriest, unsolved mysteries of the Internet" by The Washington Post,[12] and much speculation exists as to its function. Many have speculated that the puzzles are a recruitment tool for the NSA, CIA,[13] MI6, a "Masonic conspiracy",[14] or a cyber mercenary group.[2][8] Others have stated Cicada 3301 is an alternate reality game, although no company or individual has attempted to monetize it.[11]

  1. ^ Michael Grothaus (25 November 2014). "Meet The Man Who Solved The Mysterious Cicada 214 Puzzle". Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b "The internet mystery that has the world baffled over its difficulty". The Daily Telegraph. 25 November 2013. Archived from the original on 25 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  3. ^ Bell, Chris. "Cicada 3301 update: the baffling internet mystery is back". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  4. ^ Hern, Alex (January 10, 2014). "Cicada 3301: I tried the hardest puzzle on the internet and failed spectacularly". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016.
  5. ^ Puzzle Image, archived from the original on 2016-01-16, retrieved 2016-05-14
  6. ^ Cicada 3301. "Cicada 3301's new puzzle (Dead Image)". Archived from the original on May 7, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Threat Stack (19 April 2017). "Cicadas & Security, Part 2: When a Verified PGP Key Takes You on a Trip to the Desert". Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  8. ^ a b Lipinski, Jed. "Chasing the Cicada: Exploring the Darkest Corridors of the Internet". Mental_Floss. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  9. ^ Ernst, Douglas (November 26, 2013). "Secret society seeks world's brightest: Recruits navigate 'darknet' filled with terrorism, drugs". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  10. ^ Bell, Chris (7 January 2014). "Cicada 3301 update: the baffling internet mystery is back". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  11. ^ a b Scott, Sam (16 December 2013). "Cicada 3301: The most elaborate and mysterious puzzle of the internet age". Metro. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  12. ^ Dewey, Caitlin (21 May 2014). "Five of the Internet's eeriest, unsolved mysteries". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  13. ^ "Is mystery internet challenge a recruiting tool for the CIA?". Channel 4 News. 27 November 2013. Archived from the original on 28 August 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  14. ^ Vincent, James (7 January 2014). "Masonic conspiracy or MI6 recruitment tool? Internet mystery Cicada 3301 starts up again". The Independent. Retrieved 2 October 2017.