What is Cicada 3301?

[stonehart]

I remember when this first hit.. very cool puzzle trail

 

[Randall]

CICADA 3301 - I remember when this first hit.. very cool puzzle trail

Fascinating

 

[mike]

Lots of detail here

CICADA 3301 2014 PUZZLE - Uncovering Cicada Wiki

ONION 2 with 3 JPGs, 3 outguesses, RUNES and PGP signed CIPHERTEXT IN 5 GRAMS - Uncovering Cicada Wiki

 

[Burnt State]

So at the end of it all was it ever identified who was behind the recruitment drive? I'm sure it was the ultra terrestrials engaging in a little brain drain - you know get the smartest of our lot together online, physically round em up, take em away and put em straight to work in the operation trojan horse industry in their time and space place. I bet they have way better work environments than the usual google/apple lounges with ping pong tables, soft chairs in the shapes of various volatile molecules and organic, shredded paramecium buffet carts. I bet they've got the really good stuff...

 

[stonehart]

So at the end of it all was it ever identified who was behind the recruitment drive? I'm sure it was the ultra terrestrials engaging in a little brain drain - you know get the smartest of our lot together online, physically round em up, take em away and put em straight to work in the operation trojan horse industry in their time and space place. I bet they have way better work environments than the usual google/apple lounges with ping pong tables, soft chairs in the shapes of various volatile molecules and organic, shredded paramecium buffetcarts. I bet they've got the really good stuff...

Only to those who have worked out the puzzles

 

[stonehart]

Will add this.

Remember where it first turned up ... 4chn ... so never rule out the possibility that this is meta trolling on a massive scale.

 

[Burnt State]

the requirement for people to actually go to physical locations on planet earth to retrieve clues and necessary information pieces for final results along with the diversity and sophistication of areas of knowledge indicated something a little more serious no? at the very least it is an excellent example of the power of the human desire to know the answer to the code.

 

[powderHound]

There is some further discussion on reddit: Who or what is Cicada3301? : UnresolvedMysteries

 

[stonehart]

There is some further discussion on reddit: Who or what is Cicada3301? : UnresolvedMysteries

Thanks for posting... The problem for me is where this first turned up and being an old old old anon I just smell meta trolling on an epic scale but not beyond the means of some of the old anons I know.. So yeah like I said remember where this first started.

But having said that this has gone way beyond any meta trolling I have ever seen so it could very well be legit... either way it is very cool.

 

[stonehart]

 

[stonehart]

Cicada 3301 poster with QR code discovered in Warsaw, Poland.

 

[stonehart]

If you are really into this then here is a link explaining some of the clues thus far that Mike posted .

What Happened Part 1 (2013) - Uncovering Cicada Wiki

It is worth the time to read as the lengths that who or whom ever went to to create this puzzle is quite astounding.

 

[nameless]

I thought they found out it was a bunch of Berkely dudes who reappeared 17 years later each with their own jobs at various computer and communications companies?