Summary of Cicada 3301: An Internet Mystery

00:00:00 - 00:15:00

The Cicada 3301 mystery began in 2012 with the posting of a cipher on 4chan. The video discusses the possibility that the puzzles are part of a recruitment campaign by a secret society, and that the chosen few have not communicated with each other since 2013. In 2017, Cicada released two new puzzles that have yet to be solved.

• 00:00:00 An anonymous user on 4chan posted an image containing a cipher and a challenge for users to try to decode it. Within minutes, people discovered that by opening the image in a text editor, an appended string of readable text could be found. This string contained a link to another image, which led to a website where finalists were accepted into a final stage of the puzzle. The site eventually closed down with a message saying "We want the best, not the followers."
• 00:05:00 After a year of enigmatic clues, Cicada returns with a new puzzle that involves deciphering a book written in runes. However, the meaning of the translated pages is cryptic at best. As the year comes to a close and no new clues are released, some people begin to suspect the game is over. However, in early 2016, Cicada encourages people to reexamine the book and, after a difficult translation process, they finally decode its secrets. The revelations include a manifesto for a secret cult, as well as instructions on how to access a website on the deep web.
• 00:10:00 The video discusses the Cicada 3301 mystery, which began in 2012 with an image on 4chan. The video argues that the puzzles may be an elaborate recruitment campaign by a secret society, and that the chosen few have not communicated with each other since 2013.
• 00:15:00 In 2017, Cicada released two cryptic puzzles that have yet to be solved, with some people believing they are a remnant of the cypherpunk movement of the late 80s and 90s. While no part of the puzzles would have required more than one person, the posters often pointed to as evidence of an international organization are created by any person with a disposable income and enough time on their hands.