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Cicada 3301 was one of the internet's most fascinating and complex puzzles, first appearing in January 2012 on 4chan. The puzzle series, which ran for several years, was notable for its unprecedented scope and sophistication, combining elements of cryptography, steganography, data security, and esoteric knowledge. The puzzles required participants to solve elaborate challenges that spanned the digital and physical worlds, including hidden messages in images, complex cryptographic riddles, and even physical clues posted in various locations worldwide from Poland to Hawaii.

The purpose and creators of Cicada 3301 remain largely unknown, though they described themselves as an organization seeking highly intelligent individuals. The puzzles demonstrated an extraordinary breadth of knowledge, incorporating references to classical literature, philosophy, mathematics, computer science, and obscure mystical traditions. They utilized advanced techniques like RSA encryption, hidden messages in audio files, and codes embedded in images using steganography.

What made Cicada 3301 particularly intriguing was its professional execution - the puzzles were expertly crafted, the physical posters were placed simultaneously across multiple continents, and the entire operation showed signs of significant resources and coordination. This led to widespread speculation about the identity of its creators, with theories ranging from a secret society to intelligence agencies to tech companies conducting an elaborate recruitment campaign.

The puzzles became progressively more difficult each year, requiring increasingly specialized knowledge and collaborative effort to solve. While some participants claimed to have "won" and been recruited into the organization, their accounts remain unverified. The last confirmed puzzle appeared in 2014, though sporadic unverified communications continued afterward.

The legacy of Cicada 3301 lives on as one of the internet's greatest mysteries and has inspired numerous similar online puzzles and alternate reality games. It demonstrated the potential for creating complex, multi-layered challenges that blur the lines between digital and physical reality, while highlighting the power of collective problem-solving in the internet age. The puzzle series has become a symbol of the deep mysteries that can still exist in our highly connected world.

The Cicada 3301 puzzles play a major role in the visual novel Anonymous;Code.

References

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 [[File:Cicada 3301 logo.jpg|thumb|Cicada 3301 logo]]
+Cicada 3301 was one of the internet's most fascinating and complex puzzles, first appearing in January 2012 on 4chan. The puzzle series, which ran for several years, was notable for its unprecedented scope and sophistication, combining elements of cryptography, steganography, data security, and esoteric knowledge. The puzzles required participants to solve elaborate challenges that spanned the digital and physical worlds, including hidden messages in images, complex cryptographic riddles, and even physical clues posted in various locations worldwide from Poland to Hawaii.
-'''Cicada 3301''' is the name given to three sets of [[puzzle]]s posted under the name "3301" online between 2012 and 2014. The first puzzle started on January 4, 2012,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3025785/meet-the-man-who-solved-the-mysterious-cicada-3301-puzzle|title=Meet The Man Who Solved The Mysterious Cicada 214 Puzzle|author=Michael Grothaus|date=25 November 2014|access-date=23 May 2024
-}}</ref> on [[4chan]]<ref name="DT">{{cite news |title=The internet mystery that has the world baffled over its difficulty |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/10468112/The-internet-mystery-that-has-the-world-baffled.html |access-date=25 November 2013 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=25 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131125232546/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/10468112/The-internet-mystery-that-has-the-world-baffled.html |archive-date=25 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bell |first=Chris |title=Cicada 3301 update: the baffling internet mystery is back |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/10555088/Cicada-3301-update-the-baffling-internet-mystery-is-back.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412221235/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/10555088/Cicada-3301-update-the-baffling-internet-mystery-is-back.html |archive-date=April 12, 2018 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 5, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/10/cicada-3301-i-tried-the-hardest-puzzle-on-the-internet-and-failed-spectacularly|title=Cicada 3301: I tried the hardest puzzle on the internet and failed spectacularly|last=Hern|first=Alex|date=January 10, 2014|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221103210/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/10/cicada-3301-i-tried-the-hardest-puzzle-on-the-internet-and-failed-spectacularly|archive-date=December 21, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{citation |url=https://infotomb.com/4gq25.jpg |title=Puzzle Image |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116224659/https://infotomb.com/4gq25.jpg |archive-date=2016-01-16 | url-status=dead |access-date=2016-05-14 }}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|user=1231507051321|number=684596461628223488|title=Cicada 3301's new puzzle (Dead Image)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507083500/https://X.com/1231507051321/status/684596461628223488|author=Cicada 3301|archive-date=May 7, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Cicada 3301 posted their last verified [[OpenPGP]]-signed message in April 2017, denying the validity of any unsigned puzzle.<ref name="threat stack website">{{cite web|last=Threat Stack|title=Cicadas & Security, Part 2: When a Verified PGP Key Takes You on a Trip to the Desert|date=19 April 2017|url=https://blog.threatstack.com/cicadas-security-part-2-when-a-verified-pgp-key-takes-you-on-a-trip-to-the-desert|access-date=18 May 2017|archive-date=2 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802043935/https://blog.threatstack.com/cicadas-security-part-2-when-a-verified-pgp-key-takes-you-on-a-trip-to-the-desert|url-status=dead}}</ref>
+The purpose and creators of Cicada 3301 remain largely unknown, though they described themselves as an organization seeking highly intelligent individuals. The puzzles demonstrated an extraordinary breadth of knowledge, incorporating references to classical literature, philosophy, mathematics, computer science, and obscure mystical traditions. They utilized advanced techniques like RSA encryption, hidden messages in audio files, and codes embedded in images using steganography.
-The puzzles focused heavily on [[data security]], [[cryptography]], [[steganography]], and [[Internet]] [[anonymity]].<ref name="mentalfloss">{{cite web |last=Lipinski |first=Jed |title=Chasing the Cicada: Exploring the Darkest Corridors of the Internet |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/31932/chasing-cicada-exploring-darkest-corridors-internet |publisher=Mental_Floss |access-date=17 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920023142/http://mentalfloss.com/article/31932/chasing-cicada-exploring-darkest-corridors-internet |archive-date=20 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="WashingtonTimesErnst">{{cite news |last=Ernst |first=Douglas |title=Secret society seeks world's brightest: Recruits navigate 'darknet' filled with terrorism, drugs |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/26/secret-society-seeks-worlds-smartest-cicada-3301-r/ |access-date=13 December 2013 |newspaper=The Washington Times |date=November 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925204905/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/26/secret-society-seeks-worlds-smartest-cicada-3301-r/ |archive-date=25 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Telegraph2">{{cite news|last=Bell|first=Chris|title=Cicada 3301 update: the baffling internet mystery is back|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/10555088/Cicada-3301-update-the-baffling-internet-mystery-is-back.html|access-date=10 January 2014|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=7 January 2014}}</ref> It has been called "the most elaborate and mysterious puzzle of the Internet age",<ref name="metro">{{cite news|last=Scott|first=Sam|title=Cicada 3301: The most elaborate and mysterious puzzle of the internet age|url=http://metro.co.uk/2013/12/16/cicada-3301-the-most-elaborate-and-mysterious-puzzle-of-the-internet-age-4229892/|access-date=16 December 2013|newspaper=Metro|date=16 December 2013}}</ref> and is listed as one of the "top 5 eeriest, unsolved mysteries of the Internet" by ''[[The Washington Post]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last=Dewey|first=Caitlin|title=Five of the Internet's eeriest, unsolved mysteries|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/05/02/five-of-the-internets-eeriest-unsolved-mysteries/|access-date=2 May 2014|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=21 May 2014}}</ref> and much speculation exists as to its function. Many have speculated that the puzzles are a recruitment tool for the [[NSA]], [[CIA]],<ref name=":2">{{cite news |title=Is mystery internet challenge a recruiting tool for the CIA? |url=http://www.channel4.com/news/is-mystery-internet-challenge-a-recruiting-tool-for-the-cia |newspaper=[[Channel 4 News]] |date=27 November 2013 |access-date=27 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828205734/http://www.channel4.com/news/is-mystery-internet-challenge-a-recruiting-tool-for-the-cia |archive-date=28 August 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[MI6]], a "[[Masonic conspiracy]]",<ref>{{cite news|last=Vincent|first=James|title=Masonic conspiracy or MI6 recruitment tool? Internet mystery Cicada 3301 starts up again|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/masonic-conspiracy-or-mi6-recruitment-tool-internet-mystery-cicada-3301-starts-up-again-9044049.html|access-date=2 October 2017|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=7 January 2014}}</ref> or a cyber mercenary group.<ref name="DT"/><ref name="mentalfloss"/> Others have stated Cicada 3301 is an [[alternate reality game]], although no company or individual has attempted to monetize it.<ref name=metro/>
+What made Cicada 3301 particularly intriguing was its professional execution - the puzzles were expertly crafted, the physical posters were placed simultaneously across multiple continents, and the entire operation showed signs of significant resources and coordination. This led to widespread speculation about the identity of its creators, with theories ranging from a secret society to intelligence agencies to tech companies conducting an elaborate recruitment campaign.
-==Purpose==
-The stated purpose of the puzzles each year was to recruit "highly intelligent individuals", although the ultimate purpose remains unknown.<ref name=DT /> Theories have included claims that Cicada 3301 is a secret society with the goal of improving [[cryptography]], [[privacy]], and [[anonymity]] or that it is a cult or religion.<ref name="RS">{{cite news|last1=Kushner|first1=David|title=Cicada: Solving the Web's Deepest Mystery|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/cicada-solving-the-webs-deepest-mystery-20150115|access-date=20 June 2015|issue=1227|publisher=Rolling Stone|date=29 January 2015}}</ref><ref name="WNYC">{{cite news|last=Tucker|first=Daniel|title=Meet the Teenage Codebreaker Who Helped Solve the Cicada 3301 Internet Puzzle|url=http://www.wnyc.org/story/meet-teenage-codebreaker-who-helped-solve-cicada-3301-internet-puzzle/|access-date=13 May 2014|newspaper=NPR/WNYC New Tech City|date=30 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="DaileyTim">{{cite book|last1=Dailey|first1=Timothy|title=The Paranormal Conspiracy: The Truth about Ghosts, Aliens and Mysterious Beings|publisher=Chosen Books|isbn=978-0800797768|pages=145–161|date=2015-07-07}}</ref> According to statements of several people who won the 2012 puzzle, 3301 typically uses non-puzzle-based recruiting methods, but created the Cicada puzzles because they were looking for potential members with cryptography and computer security skills.<ref name="RS" />
+The puzzles became progressively more difficult each year, requiring increasingly specialized knowledge and collaborative effort to solve. While some participants claimed to have "won" and been recruited into the organization, their accounts remain unverified. The last confirmed puzzle appeared in 2014, though sporadic unverified communications continued afterward.
-==Resolution==
-The first puzzle, of 2013, was solved by Marcus Wanner.<ref name="Great Big Story">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RatbYqc0-jE|title=Cracking the Code of Cicada 3301|website=YouTube|date=14 August 2019 |publisher=[[Great Big Story]]|language=en|access-date=23 May 2020}}</ref> According to him, those who solved the puzzles were asked questions about their support of information freedom, online privacy and freedom, and rejection of censorship. Those who answered satisfactorily at this stage were invited to a private forum, where they were instructed to devise and complete a project intended to further the ideals of the group.<ref name="RS" /> He did not finish his work on a method of general decryption and the website was removed.{{cn|date=December 2021}}
+The legacy of Cicada 3301 lives on as one of the internet's greatest mysteries and has inspired numerous similar online puzzles and alternate reality games. It demonstrated the potential for creating complex, multi-layered challenges that blur the lines between digital and physical reality, while highlighting the power of collective problem-solving in the internet age. The puzzle series has become a symbol of the deep mysteries that can still exist in our highly connected world.
-===Types of clues===
-[[File:Cicada 3301 poster locations.png|thumb|Locations of the physical paper signs from the 2012 puzzle]]
-The Cicada 3301 clues spanned many different forms of communication media, including but not limited to the Internet, telephone, original music, bootable [[Linux]] CDs, [[digital image]]s, physical paper signs, and pages of unpublished cryptic books written in runes. In total, there were two pieces of music, titled "The Instar Emergence" and "Interconnectedness", accompanying the Cicada clues. However, neither of them were part of [[Standard (music)#The standard repertoire (classical music)|a standard repertoire]], and neither the composers nor performers have been identified. Cicada 3301 also wrote a book, titled ''Liber Primus'' (Latin for ''First Book''), which contains many pages, only some of which have been decrypted. In addition to using many varying techniques to encrypt, encode, or hide data, these clues also referenced a wide variety of books, poetry, artwork, and music.<ref name=DT /> Each clue was signed by the same [[OpenPGP]] private key to confirm authenticity.<ref name="Telegraph2" /><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.zmescience.com/other/feature-post/cicada-3301-puzzle-brightest-minds-posted-unknown-mysterious-organizationt/|title = Cicada 3301: A puzzle for the brightest minds, posted by an unknown, mysterious organization|date = April 28, 2014|access-date = February 26, 2015|website = ZME Science|last = Mihai|first = Andrei}}</ref>
-==Allegations against the group==
-===Allegations of illegal activity===
-Authorities from the [[Los Andes Province, Chile|Los Andes Province]] of [[Chile]] claimed that Cicada 3301 is a "hacker group" and engaged in illegal activities. Cicada 3301 responded to this claim by issuing a [[OpenPGP|PGP]]-signed statement denying any involvement in illegal activity.<ref name="andesonline">{{cite web|last=Andes Online|title=PDI advierte sobre nueva modalidad de estafa por internet a través de google|url=http://www.losandesonline.cl/noticias/17643/11042012-pdi-advierte-sobre-nueva-modalidad-de-estafa-por-internet-a-traves-de-google.html|publisher=Andes Online}}</ref><ref name="pastebin">{{cite web|last=Pastebin|title=PGP signed Cicada message|url=http://pastebin.com/iJCnw8EW}}</ref>
-In July 2015, a group calling themselves "3301" hacked into [[Planned Parenthood]]'s database;<ref>{{cite web|last1=Oh|first1=Inae|title=Anti-Abortion Hackers Claim to Have Stolen Data That Could Take Down Planned Parenthood|url=https://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2015/07/planned-parenthood-reportedly-hacked-3301|website=Mother Jones|access-date=28 July 2015}}</ref> however, the group appeared to have no association with Cicada 3301.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Turton|first1=William|title=Anti-abortion hackers attack Planned Parenthood, release databases, employee data|url=http://www.dailydot.com/politics/planned-parenthood-hacked-anti-abortion-3301/|website=Daily Dot|date=27 July 2015|access-date=28 July 2015}}</ref> Cicada 3301 later issued a PGP-signed statement stating they "are not associated with this group in any way" and also stated that Cicada 3301 did not "condone their use of our name, number, or symbolism".<ref>{{cite tweet|author=Cicada 3301|title=Public Statement|user=1231507051321|number=625902337266204673}}</ref> The hacker group later confirmed that they were not affiliated with Cicada 3301.<ref>{{cite tweet|author=Hacker Group|title=Public Statement|user=33oh1|number=625924250453602304}}</ref>
-=== QAnon ===
-{{further information|QAnon}}
-During the first months of QAnon's existence, there were rumors that Cicada 3301 had created QAnon.<ref name="dailydot">{{Cite news |last=Rothschild |first=Mike |date=May 29, 2018 |title=Who is Q Anon, the internet's most mysterious poster? |work=The Daily Dot |url=https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/who-is-q-anon/ |access-date=July 5, 2018}}</ref> One early QAnon promoter urged Cicada 3301 puzzlers to help decode Q's messages.<ref>{{cite book |
-last1=Bloom |first1=Mia |last2=Moskalenko |first2=Sophia |title=Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of QAnon |date=2021 |publisher=Stanford University Press |location=Stanford, CA |isbn=9781503630611 |page=8 |url=http://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=34673 |chapter=1}}</ref>
-==Legacy and popular culture==
-The [[United States Navy]] released a cryptographic challenge based on the Cicada 3301 recruitment puzzles in 2014 calling it Project Architeuthis.<ref>{{cite news|last=McEvoy|first=Maria|title=US Navy attempting to recruit cryptologists through Facebook game|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10799470/US-Navy-attempting-to-recruit-cryptologists-through-Facebook-game.html|access-date=1 May 2014|newspaper=Telegraph|date=30 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Stanely|first=T.L.|title=The U.S. Navy Wants You – To Solve This Puzzle|date=29 April 2014|url=http://mashable.com/2014/04/28/us-navy-codebreaker-game/|publisher=Mashable|access-date=1 May 2014}}</ref>
-The plot of "[[Nautilus (Person of Interest)|Nautilus]]", a 2014 episode of ''[[Person of Interest (TV series)|Person of Interest]]'', featured a large-scale game very similar to the Cicada 3301 puzzles. Both feature a series of worldwide cryptographic puzzles, but as the title implies, these feature the image of a [[nautilus]] shell instead of a cicada logo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/person-interest-nautilus-209927|title=Review: Person Of Interest: 'Nautilus'|last=Planje|first=Alexa|publisher=A.V. Club|date=1 October 2014|access-date=1 October 2014}}</ref> ''Person of Interest'' creator [[Jonathan Nolan]] and producer Greg Plageman stated in an interview that Cicada 3301 was the inspiration for the episode: "Episode 2, I'm particularly fascinated by the subject underneath it. Look up Cicada 3301 on the Internet. It's a very interesting concept out there that we then put into a larger story that connects to our show".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Roffman|first1=Marisa|title=Person of Interest Season 4: Greg Plageman and Jonathan Nolan Tease a Cold War, the Loss of Sanctuary, and More|url=http://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2014/09/23/person-of-interest-season-4-greg-plageman-and-jonathan-nolan-tease-season-4s-cold-war-the-loss-of-sanctuary-and-more/|website=Give Me My Remote|access-date=7 October 2014}}</ref>
-The organization is the subject of the 2021 comedy-thriller film ''[[Dark Web: Cicada 3301]]''.<ref name="Phreaker">{{cite web |last1=Hipes |first1=Patrick |title=Phreaker Films Launches With Silicon Valley VC Cash; Alan Ritchson To Run It |url=https://deadline.com/2018/03/phreaker-films-alan-ritchson-marina-acton-company-1202312468/ |website=Deadline |access-date=14 October 2019 |date=6 March 2018}}</ref><ref name="Cicada">{{cite web |last1=Ramos |first1=Dino-Ray |title=Grindstone Acquires Alan Ritchson's Comedy-Thriller 'Cicada 3301' |url=https://deadline.com/2020/09/grindstone-entertainment-group-acquires-alan-ritchson-comedy-thriller-cicada-3301-lionsgate-1234574677/ |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |access-date=10 September 2020 |date=10 September 2020}}</ref> Directed by [[Alan Ritchson]], who co-wrote the script with Joshua Montcalm, it stars [[Jack Kesy]], [[Conor Leslie]], [[Ron Funches]], [[Kris Holden-Ried]], Andreas Apergis, and Ritchson. The film follows a hacker who participates in Cicada's recruitment game while evading the [[National Security Agency]] (NSA).<ref name="RedBand">{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Tim |title=Dark Web: Cicada 3301 Red-Band Trailer Recruits Titans Stars |url=https://www.cbr.com/dark-web-cicada-3301-titans-red-band-trailer/ |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |access-date=28 January 2021 |date=13 January 2021}}</ref><ref name="DarkWeb">{{cite web |last1=Price |first1=Jason |title='Dark Web: Cicada 3301' – Cyber-Thriller Starring Alan Ritchson Hits Digital and On Demand March 12! |url=https://www.iconvsicon.com/2021/01/14/dark-web-cicada-3301-cyber-thriller-starring-alan-ritchson-hits-digital-and-on-demand-on-march-12/ |website=Icon Vs. Icon |access-date=28 January 2021 |date=14 January 2021}}</ref>
-In the video game ''[[Assassin's Creed Origins]]'', a member of the Isu civilisation references Cicada when listing off various mysteries of history.<ref name="Assassins Creed Origins First Civilisation Segment 5">{{cite web | title=Assassins Creed Origins First Civilisation Segment 5 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za6VNwp7IMU&t=259s | website=YouTube | date=27 October 2017 |access-date=27 October 2017}} </ref>
 The Cicada 3301 puzzles play a major role in the visual novel ''[[Anonymous;Code]]''.

Revision as of 17:15, 5 January 2025

See also

References