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 X 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 X 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]
- ^ Michael Grothaus (25 November 2014). "Meet The Man Who Solved The Mysterious Cicada 214 Puzzle". Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Puzzle Image, archived from the original on 2016-01-16, retrieved 2016-05-14
- ^ Cicada 3301. "Cicada 3301's new puzzle (Dead Image)". Archived from the original on May 7, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Bell, Chris (7 January 2014). "Cicada 3301 update: the baffling internet mystery is back". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ^ a b Scott, Sam (16 December 2013). "Cicada 3301: The most elaborate and mysterious puzzle of the internet age". Metro. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
- ^ Dewey, Caitlin (21 May 2014). "Five of the Internet's eeriest, unsolved mysteries". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Vincent, James (7 January 2014). "Masonic conspiracy or MI6 recruitment tool? Internet mystery Cicada 3301 starts up again". The Independent. Retrieved 2 October 2017.