Who ranks for “cicada puzzle”

Cicada 3301 was a series of highly complex, cryptographic, and steganographic puzzles that appeared online annually between 2012 and 2014, aimed at recruiting "intelligent individuals". Known as the internet's hardest puzzle, it required skills in cryptography, data hiding, and, at times, physical travel, with the ultimate purpose and creators still unknown.

This video explains the origin of the Cicada 3301 puzzle: 1m NordVPN YouTube • Aug 27, 2023

3301

Key Aspects of the Cicada 3301 Puzzle:

Methodology: The puzzles used steganography (hiding data in images), Caesar ciphers, RSA encryption, and references to literature (e.g., The Mabinogion and Liber Primus). The Hunt: The 2012 puzzle involved a cryptic image on 4chan that led to a, a phone number, GPS coordinates for physical posters in multiple countries, and a darknet website. Purpose & Creator: The stated goal was to recruit individuals for a group focused on privacy, security, and cryptography. Theories range from a government intelligence agency (NSA/CIA) recruitment drive to a private think tank or an advanced alternate reality game. Status: The 2012 and 2013 puzzles were solved, but the 2014 puzzle (titled Liber Primus) remains unsolved. The "Final" Phase: Those who completed the 2012 challenge reportedly entered a private, dark web forum, but little is known about what followed.

2012

This video explains the different steps of the puzzle and the theory of its purpose: 00:48 Thomas Mulligan YouTube • Sep 14, 2025

While the organization warned against collaboration, many participants worked together in groups to solve the challenges. The creators made their last known public statement in 2017 to warn against fake, non-official puzzles.

2017