The Why Files

Solving Cicada 3301: Decoding the Internet's Greatest Mystery

Early in the morning of January 4th 2012, a strange message appeared on the internet. Just a few lines of text on an image, posted anonymously. Hello. We are looking for highly intelligent individuals. To find them, we have devised a test. There is a message hidden in this image. Find it, and it will lead you on the road to finding us. We look forward to meeting the few that will make it all the way through. Good luck 3301. Many speculated that it was a recruiting tool for the NSA, CIA, MI6, or even the Masons. But who was really behind it, and what was its purpose? Did it even have a purpose? Whether it did or not, it didn’t matter. Because when you post a puzzle on the internet looking for “highly intelligent people”, that’s a challenge that’s simply impossible to resist. So, the hunt for Cicada 3301 was on.