On the 4th of January, 2012, a user on 4chan posted this image. The anonymous author, who went by the four-digit pseudonym3031, challenged users to uncover a message hidden within the imageunbeckowist to those who stumped across it, someone had `just set in motion one of the most elaborate scavengers hunts the internet has ever seen. within minutes the image being posted someone discovered that by opening the file using a text editor and the appended string of readable text could be found. The string contained a cipher that, once deciphered, formed a link to yet ```another image. At first, this appeared to be a dead-end using an application known as out guess .users were able to extract hidden information embedded within the first image. The extracted information leads to a subreddit. Which in turn contained information about a book. The book along with a code could be used to uncover a phone number that, when called, played this recorded message.
(VERY GOOD, YOU HAVE DONE WELL, THERE ARE THREE PRIME NUMBERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ORIGINAL FINAL. JPG IMAGE 3301IS ONE OF THEM, YOU WILL HAVE TO FIND THE OTHER TWO MULTIPLY THREE OF THESE NUMBERS TOGETHER AND ADD A.COM ON THE END OF TO FIND THE NEXT STEP, GOOD LUCK, GOODBYE)
By the following day, the initial image had been reposed allover the internet. A growing community of armchair detectives sought to unravel this elaborate puzzle but no one was quite sure what to make of it.., What was behind it? What happens when you reach the end? some naturally dismissed it as an elaborate joke while others perceived its complexity as evidence against it being the work of a mere troll. Before long, rumors began to circulate that this could be the work of some secret society or intelligence agency with the intent of recruiting individuals proficient in cryptography, steganography, and other related fields. of course, it was nothing but a rumor. the two missing numbers mentioned in the recording proved to be the dimensions of the original image. after multiplying the width and height by 3301 and using the product as a web address,
users were taken to a website .the website consists of a countdown as well as an image of a cicada. When the countdown reached zero, the page was updated with a list of coordinates. The coordinates pointed to the location around the globe. 14 locations in 5 different countries. It was now up to participants living near the specified coordinates to rise from their comfortable armchairs and venture outside. Those who believed cicada to be the work of an organization now felt their beliefs had been justified. in their opinion, only some international collective possessed the means and resources to create a scavenger hunt of this magnitude.
This was not the work of your average troll no, this had to be something else.at each location was a poster with the cicada symbol and QR code. The code linked to an image, the image, the image contained a riddle, the riddle lead to a book, and the book leads to a website. But here, the puzzle took an unexpected turn. o only a select group of first arrivals to this website sere accepted into the final stage of the puzzle. The site eventually closed down with the messenger; "we want the best, not the followers."The finalist was also warned not to collaborate with others nor to share the details of this private stage of the puzzle. Well, given that we know this, it's safe to say that not everyone heeded that warning...But those who did presumably advanced through the final stages before reaching the very end of the puzzle. After nearly a month of silence, an image appeared on the subreddit announcing the conclusion cicada had supposedly found the highly intelligent individuals " they were looking for and whatever happened to them is a bit of a mystery but more on that in a moment. The lack of an explanation was perceived by many as confirmation that the puzzle has been noting the wild goose chase intent on everyone's time . after all, questions raised by the original image remained unanswered. What was the puzzle for? who was behind it? What happens when you reach the end? THE SECOND PUZZLE whoever was behind this intricate game had the foresight to include an authentication code known as a PGP signature along with every clue. This allowed users to verify that an image or message was actually from cicada as opposed to some imposter seeking to derail or hijack the puzzle. Cicada had repeatedly warned of such false paths and insisted that any message lacking, a valid PGP signature should promptly be disregarded. That why this image posted exactly a year and day after the first, provoked such a frenzy, After a year of lackluster imitations, this image finally matched the official PGP signature. Cicada was back and it's time for round two.
The second puzzle
not too dissimilar from the first. The image enclosed a message and gradually the puzzle unfolded. At a point, a recording titled the instar emergence uncovered .another clue lead to a cryptic Twitter account which then leads to an image. The image proved vital to the progression of the puzzle but the inclusion of this runic alphabet would remain a mystery for quite some time. Much like the first puzzle, the second swelled into the physical world when a list coordinates compelled participants to, once again, take to the streets. This time it was a search of time. This time was 8 locations in 4 Different countries. But eventually, the trail went cold once again. Another select group of first arrivals had been accepted into a final private stage of the puzzle. Unlike the first puzzle, the second did not conclude with an official message from cicada. The trail merely cold and cicada vanished once more leaving us closer to an exploration. However, this was still not the end.
The Third puzzle
At the beginning of 2014, it was time for round three. Once again the image enclosed a message, the message leads to a book, the book produced a link, and suffice it to say, it's more of the same. except for this time, the puzzle seemed to revolve around a strange book. The book was titled Liber primus, meaning the First book in Latin, and was written by Cicada. The runic alphabet uncovered in 2013 finally made sense as the book was primarily written in runes. even so, the meaning of the translated pages was cryptic at best. The book consisted of various philosophical and ideological ideas and appeared to be their manifesto. Many have science compared to the strange writings to that of the adult. Nevertheless, the book also comprised a myriad of clues and codes. However, a significant portion of the book has yet to be translated. The runic text on some of the pages appears to be obfuscated by a layer of encryption that yet to be decrypted.of the 74 ages featuring runes, only 19 have been successfully translated. as 2015 came and went without the lunch of a new puzzle, many came to suspect the liber primus had to be completed if cicada was to return. This was more confirmed at the beginning of 2016 when cicada encouraged a reexamination of the book. More than four years have now gone by with minimal progress and near-complete silence from cicada.
Questions raised by the original image have gone ignored. What is the purpose of these puzzles? Whos behind them? What happens when you reach the end?
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