Cicada 3301

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Cicada 3301 is the name with which an unknown organization that has published several complex series of puzzles since 2012 is named in the media. The name is also used for the puzzle competitions themselves. On September 21, 2018, a film of the same name was announced on IMDb , which is to be based on the story of Cicada 3301.

background

On January 5, 2012, on the "Random" board "/ b /" the imageboards 4chan a message posted in English, was announced in that highly intelligent individuals were sought. A test has been designed for this. Another message is hidden in the picture that showed the message. This hidden message leads to the mysterious originator. Expect the few who could solve the riddle. The message was signed with "3301".

On January 5, 2013, exactly one year after the first appearance, Cicada 3301 reported again, again on 4chan. A second round of puzzles was started: “Hello again. Our search for intelligent individuals now continues. "

Round 3 began on January 6, 2014, but this time on Twitter . A tweet used in the 2013 Puzzle episode has been revived. The text read: “Hello. Epiphany is upon you. Your pilgrimage has begun. Enlightenment awaits. "

On January 6, 2016, Cicada 3301 returned with a tweet. The topic of 2013 and 2014 was taken up again by referring to the - apparently still not decoded - manuscript "Liber Primus", which was written in runic script.

Another reviewable message from the group was found in April 2017.

Surname

The Cicada 3301 messages use the image of a cicada (English: "cicada") as their logo and are signed with "3301". There is a connection between cicada and the number 3301: some species of cicada have a mating cycle of 13 or 17 years, both prime numbers , and 3301 is itself a prime number.

mystery

To solve the puzzles, knowledge of a wide variety of areas is required, including encryption methods and steganography , the occultism of Aleister Crowley , cyberpunk literature, Anglo-Saxon runes or darknets such as Tor . Solving a puzzle step leads to the next puzzle step.

In the first series of puzzles in 2012, the end point was a page in the Tor network . After an unknown number of participants had reached this page, it finally showed the message: “We want the best, not the followers.” Another message a few weeks later read: “Hello, we have now found the individuals we sought. Thus our month-long journey ends. For now. Thank you for your dedication and effort. If you were unable to complete the test, or did not receive an email, do not despair. There will be more opportunities like this one. "

In 2012, participation in Cicada 3301 also required visiting certain locations. In various places around the world, posters had been attached to street lamps with a QR code on them that led to the next step in the puzzle.

Swedish computer expert Joel Eriksson documented Cicada 3301 after making it to the end of the 2012 series of puzzles, but too late: the site was already closed. Participant forums were set up on the Internet in a very short time, where the puzzles were discussed and solutions published. Detailed information was collected in a Cicada 3301 Wiki .

Originator

The origin and purpose of the Cicada 3301 puzzles are unknown. The speculations range from an alternate reality game to a marketing campaign to recruitment tests by private, state or criminal organizations. Secret services such as MI6 and CIA are mentioned many times .

A few years before Cicada 3301, the British intelligence service GCHQ had used a similar process to find suitable employees. Also, Google put puzzles for staff search in Internet one.

To distinguish between imitators and free riders, the Cicada 3301 messages are provided with a PGP signature.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ imdb.com Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f James Vincent: Masonic conspiracy or MI6 recruitment tool? Internet mystery Cicada 3301 starts up again . The Independent, January 7, 2014 (English)
  3. ↑ a b c d e Chris Bell: The internet mystery that hast he world baffled . The Telegraph, November 25, 2013 (English)
  4. ↑ Alex Hern: Cicada 3301: I tried the hardest puzzle on the internet and failed spectacularly . The Guardian, January 10, 2014 (English)
  5. ↑ a b c Chris Williams: Cicada 3301: The web's toughest and most creepy crypto-puzzle is BACK . The A Register, January 11, 2014
  6. ↑ Cicada Puzzle 2016 https://twitter.com/1231507051321/status/684596461628223488
  7. ↑ Message from April 2017 https://pastebin.com/yEiTHhvF
  8. ↑ a b c Jane Wakefield: Cicada 3301: The dark net treasure trail reopens . BBC, January 9, 2014 (English)
  9. ↑ a b Uli Ries: Cicada 3301: The most mysterious scavenger hunt on the Internet . Heise Security, November 27, 2013
  10. ^ Joel Eriksson: // 3301 . Documentation of the Cicada 3301 puzzle series from 2012 (English)
  11. ↑ Uncovering Cicada Wiki (English)