Started by Tariq Ali (@tariq_ctf) ·
Cicada 3301 still doesn't have an answer
Three rounds of puzzles in January 2012, 2013, and 2014, with clues hidden in images, a phone message, websites, and paper signs with QR codes in real cities. The stated goal was recruiting 'intelligent individuals.' The third round was never solved and the last verified message was in 2017.
6 sources · 1h 2m down the hole
How I got here
- Started with
- “cicada 3301 what was it”
- Ended at
- “liber primus unsolved pages”
The Trail
- “cicada 3301 what was it” (google.com)
- Cicada 3301 (en.wikipedia.org)
- Steganography (en.wikipedia.org)
- Pretty Good Privacy (en.wikipedia.org)
every real clue was signed with the same PGP key, which is how people tell real from fake
- Runes (en.wikipedia.org)
- “liber primus unsolved pages” (reddit.com)
the liber primus is a book of rune pages, and apparently most of it is still undecoded
Keep going
- the first BBS was built during a Chicago blizzard · Tariq Ali · 7 sources
- correct horse battery staple · Tariq Ali · 4 sources
- Flash stopped on January 12, 2021, and people saved 160,000 games · Ayodele Bankole · 7 sources
- the first webcam was pointed at a coffee pot · Ayodele Bankole · 7 sources