The Internet's Biggest Mystery: Cicada 3301

Horror Story: Ghosts, Mysteries, and Hauntings

Horror Stories

True Crime, History, Society & Culture

4.6 • 668 Ratings

🗓️ 20 August 2021

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In early 2012, an extremely difficult puzzle was released to 4chan, a popular internet forum, in search of highly intelligent individuals. This puzzle became known as Cicada 3301. Who are they? What happened to the winners?

Produced by Edwin Covarrubias
Research by Madeline Guerra
Music: Simon Wilkinson

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Transcript

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0:00.0	It was the 4th of January in 2012, and there was nothing else to do online but to check the forums.
0:11.0	People were posting of their latest macros and apps they had built.
0:15.0	They also posted a new way to get into one major brand's patent and software without paying for it, and a quick
0:21.8	way to duplicate virtual cash on a popular game.
0:26.0	All of these had been said before.
0:29.2	Then another random post showed up.
0:32.7	Hello.
0:34.5	We are looking for highly intelligent individuals.
0:38.3	To find them, we have devised a test.
0:40.3	There is a message hidden in this image.
0:43.3	Find it.
0:45.3	And it will lead you on the road to us.
0:48.3	We look forward to meeting the few that will make it all the way through.
0:52.3	Good luck. 3301.
0:56.0	Highly intelligent individuals?
1:00.0	Who was this we that the pose was mentioning?
1:03.0	A group?
1:05.0	A secret organization?
1:08.0	These anonymous users created one of the biggest mysteries on the internet that still has left us with more questions and answers.
1:16.8	The original posts that was found online eventually led people on challenges that took a life of their own.
1:24.3	Participants eventually made phone calls and were asked to search real locations for clues on how to solve difficult puzzles that only the few that they were looking for would actually manage to complete.
1:36.3	What was this secret organization?
	...

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