by Sebastian Garaycochea
On January 4th 2012 a mysterious post appears on the infamous 4chan website, leaving everyone “puzzled”. The post says that they are looking for highly talented individuals and that there is a message hidden within it. From this stems one of the most intricate scavenger hunt of recent history, stemming to three highly complex puzzles and the search for the mysterious group behind the post. This episode talks about this mystery and the secret group of 3301 that’s behind it. The episode aims to answer the questions Who is 3301? What is their purpose? And finally, What has led them to exist? In this podcast we will also be analyzing and solving the puzzles posted by 3301. If you are interested in creepy mysteries, be sure to give this podcast a listen and follow me into this rabbit hole.
Works Cited
Kushner, D. (2015, January 15). Cicada: Solving the Web’s Deepest Mystery. Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/cicada-solving-the-webs-deepest-mystery-84394/
Åhlén, J. (n.d.). Cicada 3301 First Puzzle Walkthrough | Boxentriq. Boxentriq. Retrieved April 16, 2021, from https://www.boxentriq.com/code-breaking/cicada-3301-first-puzzle-walkthrough
Andrei, M. (2021, February 1). Cicada 3301: A puzzle for the brightest minds, posted by an unknown, mysterious organization. ZME Science. https://www.zmescience.com/other/feature-post/cicada-3301-puzzle-brightest-minds-posted-unknown-mysterious-organizationt/
Agate Level Up. (2019, March 22). ARG’s Power to Spread Brand Awareness. https://agatelevelup.id/ar-to-spread-brand-awareness/
Corcoran, K. (2018, January 16). GCHQ is using this puzzle to recruit aspiring female spies – try it out. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/gchq-puzzle-recruitment-female-spies-try-it-out-2018-1?international=true&r=US&IR=T
Bergen, M. (2015, August 26). “Puzzles Are Fun. Search On”: Google Cops to Secret Recruiting Tool Baked Inside Search. Vox. https://www.vox.com/2015/8/26/11618060/puzzles-are-fun-search-on-google-admits-secret-recruiting-tool-in
Bell, B. C. (2013, November 25). The internet mystery that has the world baffled. The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/10468112/The-internet-mystery-that-has-the-world-baffled.html
Hern, A. (2020, April 3). Cicada 3301: I tried the hardest puzzle on the internet and failed spectacularly. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/10/cicada-3301-i-tried-the-hardest-puzzle-on-the-internet-and-failed-spectacularly
Xaxanon. (2012, January 20). 00008.MTS [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdzSuKrTISc
LEMINO. (2018, May 19). Cicada 3301: An Internet Mystery [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2O7blSSzpI
Nox Populi. (2016, May 20). 2012 Cicada 3301 Solutions Part 1 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad_DNgdc35A&list=PLj-CncBDqQ45xQxsjVn5I7fJccKJWxPQ5
Audio Sources
Great Big Story. (2016, May 20). 2012 Cicada 3301 Solutions Part 1 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad_DNgdc35A&list=PLj-CncBDqQ45xQxsjVn5I7fJccKJWxPQ5
habitres. (2012, January 10). Voice On Phone – Cicada 3301 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k24ZrFR2IUQ
Anon Ymous. (2013, January 5). Cicada 3301 Song: The Instar Emergence (761) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA1fONCH-CY
Background Music
All music from Orange Free Sounds (https://orangefreesounds.com/)
Track 1: Alexander Blu. (2019, December 8). Creepy Music Box. Orange Free Sounds. https://orangefreesounds.com/creepy-music-box-background-music/
Track 2: Alexander Blu. (2019, September 10). Halloween Creepy Music. Orange Free Sounds. https://orangefreesounds.com/creepy-music-box-background-music/
Additional Information
Bassil, M. (2020, May 28). Cicada 3301: the coders still working on the internet’s strangest mystery. The Face. https://theface.com/life/cicada-3301-the-codebreakers-still-working-on-the-internets-strangest-mystery
https://uncovering-cicada.fandom.com/wiki/Uncovering_Cicada_Wiki
Image: Cicada 3301 Logo, creator unknown