In this video I explore an elaborate cryptographic internet puzzle orchestrated by a mysterious individual or group known as Cicada 3301.
Puzzle: The puzzle I hid in this video has been solved.
The image displayed on screen during this part of the video contains a typo. The word "road" has been incorrectly spelled as "raod". This is not a mistake by whomever is behind Cicada 3301 but a mistake on my part.
I mispronounce the word "hypocritical" in this part of the video.
This wiki documents the puzzles.
Archive of miscellaneous puzzle assets.
A toolset for working with the Liber Primus book.
Steganography software used extensively by Cicada 3301.
A Chilean news organization accused Cicada 3301 of hacking back in 2012 and Cicada issued a response soon thereafter.
Note the British spelling of the word "organisations" in this message.
After a group using the same name and iconography as Cicada 3301 hacked a Planned Parenthood facility in 2015, news organizations confused the two groups and Cicada issued a response soon thereafter.
Once again, Cicada opt for the British spelling of the word "organisations".
In 2016, Cicada released another cryptic message which appear to encourage a closer examination of the Liber Primus.
As of the making of this video, this is the latest public message from Cicada 3301.
A similar puzzle developed by the GCHQ.
A similar puzzle developed by the US Navy.
A similar puzzle developed by Google.
Interview with two winners of the first puzzle. One goes by the username Tekk while the other uses his real name, Marcus Wanner.
Nox Populi claims to be one of the few winners of the second puzzle.
A subreddit dedicated to the mystery.
An ARG designed by Microsoft to promote the release of A.I.: Artificial Intelligence.
An ARG designed by Microsoft to promote the release of Halo 2.
This appears to be the original 4chan thread posted to /b/ on the 4th of January, 2012.
This screencap seems to be the only surviving "archive" of the original 4chan thread.
A Reddit thread about the first puzzle was posted mere hours after the original 4chan thread.
Another early Reddit thread.
The earliest archived 4chan thread about the first puzzle that I was able to find.
Another early 4chan thread.
The subreddit lead to this book. Specifically the story titled "The Lady of the Fountain". It's interesting to note that the author of the submissions on the subreddit "CageThrottleUs" is an anagram for the woman who first transcribed the book into English "Charlotte Guess".
This page initially contained a countdown but was later updated with a list of coordinates.
Technically, this is an archive of an archive of the original website.
A map I compiled of all the posters.
The QR codes on the posters linked to this image.
One of the two texts found by examining the image of reference #30.
One of the two texts found by examining the image of reference #30.
This is allegedly a leaked email which finalists received at the end of the first puzzle.
A wiki which detailed the first puzzle as it was unfolding.
Archive of the original wiki article.
One of the original 4chan threads posted to /b/ on the 5th of January, 2013.
This Pastebin dump seem to be the only surviving "archive" of the original 4chan thread.
One of the original 4chan threads posted to /x/ on the 5th of January, 2013.
This Pastebin dump seem to be the only surviving "archive" of the original 4chan thread.
The information embedded within the image of reference #39 lead to this book.
This downloadable .ISO disk image consisted of a number of files as well as a bootable Tiny Core Linux distribution which some solvers have dubbed Cicada OS.
The disk image of reference #41 lead to this Twitter account.
Through a process known as XORing, this image of a gematric rune table was uncovered.
A map I compiled of all the posters.
An archive of the 19 questions which finalists supposedly had to answer in order to progress through the final stages of the puzzle.
Unlike the first two puzzles, the third began with a tweet.
The information embedded within the image of reference #48 lead to this book.
At one point during the puzzle this recording was uncovered.
Another book featured in the puzzle.
The Liber Primus pages uncovered near the end of the puzzle.
A 4chan thread about the odd symbols featured on the pages of the book.