Cicada 3301

Cicada 3301 logo Cicada 3301 are three sets of puzzles posted under the name "3301" online between 2012 and 2014. The first puzzle started on January 4, 2012, on 4chan, and ran for nearly a month. A second round began on January 4, 2013, and a third round was posted on Twitter on January 4, 2014. 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. Cicada 3301 posted their last verified OpenPGP-signed message in April 2017, denying the validity of any unsigned puzzle.

The first message of Cicada 3301 posted on 4chan, beginning the first set of puzzles The puzzles focused heavily on data security, cryptography, steganography, and Internet anonymity. It has been called "the most elaborate and mysterious puzzle of the Internet age", and is listed as one of the "top 5 eeriest, unsolved mysteries of the Internet" by The Washington Post, and much speculation exists as to its function. Many have speculated that the puzzles are a recruitment tool for the NSA, CIA, MI6, Mossad, a "Masonic conspiracy", or a cyber mercenary group. Others have stated Cicada 3301 is an alternate reality game, although no company or individual has attempted to monetize it.