Solving Cicada 3301: Decoding the Internet's Greatest Mystery
Added 2023-08-16 22:50:23 +0000 UTCEarly 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.
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.
Comments
Your my favorite youtuber/content creater. I appreciate how the onion was explained.
George Quihuis
2025-04-09 02:03:07 +0000 UTCThank you AJ and team for this great story!
David Parisi
2024-02-12 04:51:07 +0000 UTCI remember all this happening. Nice to know the whole story! Thanks AJ!
Jason Goode-Domingues
2024-02-07 23:25:50 +0000 UTCTook me 4 days at sea to finish this episode. It’s like they didn’t want me to see the ending. Lol
Daniel Hardt
2023-12-15 01:09:45 +0000 UTCI need a Cicada hoodie!!!!
Angeline JoVan
2023-11-27 11:53:57 +0000 UTCThis is probably - no definitely- the best explanation of Cicada 3301 I've seen. You did a great job with this pointing out all the various cipher techniques and telling the story. Great job with this one. May be my new favorite WF episode. Keep up the good work!
Robert LaBella
2023-08-23 01:58:42 +0000 UTCYes. Arrived yesterday, the 21st. I received a notification over the weekend from one of my shipping apps alerting me that "Albatross North America" was sending me a package for Monday delivery. I suspect that's the U.S.-based receiving company for the manufacturer in China. I figured that had to be the plushie, and it was. I ordered mine the first day it was available for Patreon subscribers, so yours can't be far behind. Hopefully arrives before the move you mentioned above.
MikeD
2023-08-22 22:04:03 +0000 UTCyou got yours? mines gone from china to chicago to dallas. I live in Colorado. Getting closer!
Bosco Lemonzit
2023-08-21 22:06:59 +0000 UTCThe Hecklefish plushie has landed.
MikeD
2023-08-21 20:58:54 +0000 UTCHow about hecklefish is the motivational speaker i.e., Chris Farley, who lives not down by the lake, but in the lake
Bosco Lemonzit
2023-08-19 19:30:43 +0000 UTCOr a point counterpoint between aj and heckle and heckle can say “AJ you ignorant slut “
Bosco Lemonzit
2023-08-19 19:30:11 +0000 UTCSamurai AJ or Hecklefishs Neighborhood I can't believe nobody else thought this to be a fun question!
Bosco Lemonzit
2023-08-19 16:21:41 +0000 UTCI won a heckelfish plush. It's a major award!
Jack (Doc) Gryphon
2023-08-19 11:24:51 +0000 UTCOMG...just realized you were the 1st to get the puzzle. You don't have to tell me, but I REALLY hope its "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine " 😅
Angelique Fouquet
2023-08-19 00:52:30 +0000 UTCBest comment!
Angelique Fouquet
2023-08-19 00:46:53 +0000 UTCWhat's your favorite SNL sketch? Are there any you would like to redo with the three of you?
Sendrius Telt
2023-08-18 17:37:43 +0000 UTCWhat about the futzing of retro-grade and pro-grade during the Black Knight vid. I happened so often I'm like– Come on! This gotta' be on purpose.
Alexander 🦊
2023-08-18 03:35:01 +0000 UTCI was so invested in thus episode I wish it went longer. I'm now waiting on the arrival of my hecklefish plushy.😆
Tracey Graham
2023-08-18 02:43:40 +0000 UTC=4729? don't know after that
scott considine
2023-08-18 02:03:34 +0000 UTCLol I had noted that he had but chose not to say as didn't want to appear petty :)
Mik Smith
2023-08-18 01:31:45 +0000 UTCJeez, from CTL/ALT/DEL (me) to that level of programming was mind boggling. Absolutely loved this video! Phenomenal!
Joan Robinson
2023-08-17 23:34:31 +0000 UTCOr “dope-ah-men” instead of “dope-ah-mean?”
DS_the_RN
2023-08-17 21:56:52 +0000 UTCI am an old geezer and learned a long long time ago. Back on the news groups of MSN 1995 days, never ever correct somebody else’s spelling or grammar. It will be guaranteed in the correction you will also make a spelling or grammatical error.
Bosco Lemonzit
2023-08-17 21:53:25 +0000 UTCOh yeah, it was obvious but also fun to see how excited you were to dive into this. And I'd sit through 2 hours of you talking to the fish any day!
Autumn Spredemann
2023-08-17 21:21:01 +0000 UTCPhew! Thanks:) Please make sure you and no-one else makes him aware of this typo..... :/
Mik Smith
2023-08-17 21:17:51 +0000 UTCWould the be an A rather than a C?
Jaya
2023-08-17 19:40:34 +0000 UTCyet another great video and I get to watch it again tonight :)
Birdie the Cockatiel Randt
2023-08-17 19:30:29 +0000 UTCExactly, AJ has blown my mind several times. That's why I love this show so much.
Nikki G_0
2023-08-17 18:27:44 +0000 UTCI knew about the crosswords in the newspapers when we were recruiting for Bletchley codebreakers during WWII, so the idea wasn't new to me. Thinking back, the "we wanted people to write free software" was a bit lame, so yes, it was totally the CIA recruiting! :-D
Susi Su
2023-08-17 17:53:58 +0000 UTC:D
Mik Smith
2023-08-17 17:50:50 +0000 UTCI realized last week my fav episodes were the hollow moon and the crop circles, because in both, I had to stop, say holy crap, I've got to think this thru, this is new info and can completely change my worldview on the subject - for example, the press conference after moon landing. I actually looked up previous to launch news conferences and interviews to compare the guys performance and now think "holy crap, what did they find up there?" Those are the best and different for all of us, AJ makes us sit up and think. What a gift! What a great teacher he would have been in junior high science.
Bosco Lemonzit
2023-08-17 17:31:28 +0000 UTCI love it!
Daniel Buompane
2023-08-17 17:29:53 +0000 UTCI remember when that came out on the net and I ran the other way. I've refused to use face/twit/etc because it's social engineering and I looked at this cicada thing and just thought, yea, it might be fun, but you might regret deeply figuring it out. Plus a man's got to know his limitations (quick, which Clint Eastwood movie) and dark web Tor, stuff, way above me and safer to stay off it. I've worked tech for 40 years this year and much of it scares the beejees out of me now. Tech did not make life easier, it actually made the simple complicated
Bosco Lemonzit
2023-08-17 17:21:53 +0000 UTCI HAVE SOLVED THE PUZZLE! 'kcohtgsmhirathosotnabca', once run through the correct decoding software (I am obviously not at liberty to share this with others) translates as 'AJ is so impressed he is sending you a free 'Why? Files' mug right now so be happy!'.
Mik Smith
2023-08-17 16:43:09 +0000 UTCNerd heaven. I love it.
Sammy the Ditch Doctor
2023-08-17 16:36:13 +0000 UTCThis story could be a Geek litmus test. I'm a geek, but maybe not as much of one as I thought because I never heard of this before. Very interesting story.
Nikki G_0
2023-08-17 15:30:59 +0000 UTCIntriguing episode. People needed to put out a lot of money for all those tools they needed to decode the puzzles. I would have been stumped at the first one! Thanks for the enlightenment, A.J.
Kazren
2023-08-17 14:40:41 +0000 UTCAs per usual I've had my weekly hit of dopermine watching the TWF 😊. I've been totally entertained, thank you AJ 🙏
Deborah
2023-08-17 14:20:32 +0000 UTCI loved this one! Very neat!!
7Heather7
2023-08-17 13:44:29 +0000 UTCMy most favorite episode in many months.
Todd Twilley
2023-08-17 12:41:43 +0000 UTCGreat video - good job documenting all the steps as well as the final explanation
Peter Anniko
2023-08-17 12:14:55 +0000 UTCI'm not unconvinced it's not a government spy agency recruitment drive. (Hopefully I didn't double-negative that sentence to mean the opposite.) The "explanation" and the website and having that info leaked is how they'd cover their tracks. Granted, I had never really heard about this until I watched TWF video, but now that I have, it remains an open question to me.
MikeD
2023-08-17 12:12:23 +0000 UTCI think it’s 3301
Peter Anniko
2023-08-17 12:11:50 +0000 UTCIntriguing 🤓🧡🙏✨
Julia Fox
2023-08-17 12:05:51 +0000 UTCFascinating episode. I'm afraid I fell for the "it's got to be a recruitment drive",but in hindsight that was a bit too obvious.
Susi Su
2023-08-17 11:47:13 +0000 UTCEven though I'm not smart enough to solve computer code, this story always intrigued me. Thanks for this. I love psychology and philosophy type of puzzles.
Dena Laura Shea
2023-08-17 11:46:30 +0000 UTCThis is my new favorite episode…….. 😁
Jeremy Shorter
2023-08-17 11:38:06 +0000 UTCGreat episode, really enjoyed it!
Rob Potts
2023-08-17 11:37:27 +0000 UTCSuper interesting and fun episode!
EuroJenn
2023-08-17 09:46:33 +0000 UTCI like puzzles but omg I don't have that level (equipment or breadth of knowledge) and I have ADD.
Karl poff
2023-08-17 08:34:14 +0000 UTCSo, the code is asking for my mother's maiden name, my date of birth and whether I am a pescetarian? Very odd..
Jackson
2023-08-17 08:04:07 +0000 UTCAmazing episode once again!! My head hurts 🤯🤯. So much research must’ve gone into this one! You completed your goal to entertain …… here’s a shot of dopamine 🥃 ☺️
James Winn
2023-08-17 07:30:27 +0000 UTCTHE ONLY WAY OUT IS IN. ALL IS SACRED EMERGENCE IS CoMING
Daniel Hinshaw
2023-08-17 07:24:58 +0000 UTCI appreciate the accurate description of the deep / dark web, being a US military project may have been a worth addition to your brief explanation.
Ben Dover-Nimmo
2023-08-17 06:00:11 +0000 UTCFantastic, I’m on vacation and still can’t get enough of TWF!!!! 😁
Tammie Harper~Wilson ❤️
2023-08-17 05:55:18 +0000 UTChttp://www1.845145127.com still exists as a domain but leads to a blank page, the map of locations all correspond to NATO intelligence locations...
Ben Dover-Nimmo
2023-08-17 05:55:16 +0000 UTCMe neither 😂
rob denton
2023-08-17 05:32:34 +0000 UTCGreat episode. Really enjoyed it
rob denton
2023-08-17 05:30:27 +0000 UTCThis is very strange, and this cicada thing one big failure, it's a good story just because you told it, but the subject in itself failed to impress. The worse part for me is the puzzle master's completely failed to realize the puzzle of why the cicada gang was looking for puzzle masters, so why did they not do it, puzzles are made in order to solve. What did it matter if they where searching to change things, it's a puzzle all the same. Something like that I think? HOUSE
John Seychel
2023-08-17 05:12:36 +0000 UTCAnother fascinating video. Puzzle in the video? Not in the tiniest bit interested.
George Kuhn
2023-08-17 05:03:20 +0000 UTCSo… All are all the weird mistakes in past vids also clues? Such as putting up a pic of "Tiwanaku," but it's actually Rapa Nui. Or, that one time you said Buddhist "monetary" instead of monastery.
Alexander 🦊
2023-08-17 04:52:19 +0000 UTCGreatest channel on YouTube by far
Jon Daniels
2023-08-17 04:47:47 +0000 UTCWas Cicada 3301 partially covered or at least discussed in one of the early videos or am I suffering from the Mandela Effect? I've heard of it before and I swear it was in a Why Files video. Now I'm gonna have to start re-watching all the early videos to see if I'm crazy or not lol
Chase Schleich
2023-08-17 04:39:50 +0000 UTCGreat episode! Loved the ending
Jamarr Mays
2023-08-17 04:36:02 +0000 UTCYou son of a gun. I listened to this in the car. Now, I have to listen/watch when I get home. It’s 12:24 am and I have to be at a meeting at 9:00am. Ughhh
No Way Jose
2023-08-17 04:27:00 +0000 UTCOmg this is me and my son’s favorite show and our first time being a patron to any YouTube channel at that ! So we just wanna say hi and thank you for giving me and my son another thing we get to set make memories with conversations and bond together while watching your show ❤️
Joseph Thurmond
2023-08-17 04:10:51 +0000 UTCThis video might be come the most viewed whyfiles video. Also, can we finally talk about all the 1/10 second splash screens in your videos? 😉
John McGuire
2023-08-17 03:25:17 +0000 UTCYou stop making me think 🤔 I’m off the clock
Moe
2023-08-17 02:57:55 +0000 UTCSo your’e 2 cut outs were intentional?. Hmm
Moe
2023-08-17 02:53:07 +0000 UTCTruly excellent, cheers !
thormusique
2023-08-17 02:42:44 +0000 UTCAre you going to make me watch this again at .25 speed looking for clues? I don’t even know if I can solve this or not.
Brian Lantz
2023-08-17 02:38:38 +0000 UTCSweet, I suggested the Beale papers awhile back. Cool to see them mentioned.
Bealy Good
2023-08-17 02:29:31 +0000 UTCAs soon as someone gets it, I will announce.
The Why Files
2023-08-17 02:14:11 +0000 UTCI wish I would have thought of this, Mike. I would have included this in the video.
The Why Files
2023-08-17 02:13:08 +0000 UTCSame! Lots of folks thought Cicada was an ARG at first.
The Why Files
2023-08-17 02:12:46 +0000 UTCThe puzzle in the video is very Cicada-like. Meaning: once you find it, you'll wonder how you ever missed it. 😎
The Why Files
2023-08-17 02:12:08 +0000 UTCYou saw that, huh? It's one of my favorite internet mysteries. I could have done two hours on this. There is SO much more.
The Why Files
2023-08-17 02:11:03 +0000 UTCNext time you hear someone say "pry-mus", you can correct their anglified Latin. 😉
The Why Files
2023-08-17 02:10:39 +0000 UTCAnother great show, different and fun, but MMMMM, me and I fish could use some help with looking for the clue! See you tomorrow!
John Edgeworth
2023-08-17 02:10:24 +0000 UTCLIFE
Sam Treadway
2023-08-17 02:03:24 +0000 UTCYea kind of same. Did you ever try Einstein’s riddle? He gave it to grad students in physics back in the 1920s.
Bosco Lemonzit
2023-08-17 02:00:25 +0000 UTCYeah, it’s kind of cool, isn’t it?
Bosco Lemonzit
2023-08-17 01:58:19 +0000 UTCIf the message isn't "drink more ovaltine" I'm gonna be really disappointed.
Jack (Doc) Gryphon
2023-08-17 01:53:27 +0000 UTCI found my self in the list of names :-) !!!!!!
Jonathan Leiendecker
2023-08-17 01:47:35 +0000 UTCThis shows the growing gap between the educated and the uneducated. A quarter of the net is people getting clicks for making reaction videos. A quarter is people doing complex projects for the fun of it. I understand all of the topics mentioned but do not have the time to do it.
Jonathan Leiendecker
2023-08-17 01:44:44 +0000 UTCI was thinking about dopamin. Lol. Love you AJ
Connie Brand
2023-08-17 01:41:27 +0000 UTCThe only thing I noticed was one line of text that was not normal in the list. Not sure if there is more in the video yet.
Colin Butterworth
2023-08-17 01:34:39 +0000 UTCGreat video! Yes I did also order a heckle fish plushy! Cannot wait until it arrives. :)
Lori Carrig
2023-08-17 01:33:17 +0000 UTCI saw the puzzle… but I use nothing but an old iPhone 8. I no longer have the ability to decode…..:( I hope you younger pc freaks are able to carry the torch! 0011001100000001
Joe Ragu
2023-08-17 01:29:32 +0000 UTCNeed a talk session for those that solve it!
William Scott
2023-08-17 01:26:47 +0000 UTCY'all are the best! Love these videos!
Colin Butterworth
2023-08-17 01:21:28 +0000 UTCThe best part of this episode was watching AJ get his geek on full blast. Interesting to learn how the whole 3301 deal turned out. Well done as always!
Autumn Spredemann
2023-08-17 01:20:37 +0000 UTCI was surprised to have not found this when I first found the channel. Great episode. Thank you all for your hard work.
SpaceMatt Spliff
2023-08-17 01:05:59 +0000 UTCglad I didn't have anything planned for the next couple of days. Time to re-watch.
Whiskey Tango-Foxtrot
2023-08-17 00:56:44 +0000 UTCUntil today, I've never heard anyone say the word "Primus" as "Premus". It's always been "Pry-mus". Fascinating history lesson on a unknown topic, to me at least. Congrats to those that have the hyper-intelligence to crack all of those super elaborate puzzles.
Elak Swindell
2023-08-17 00:56:04 +0000 UTCDamn, so we still don't know
Fane Reian
2023-08-17 00:54:40 +0000 UTCAnother great episode! I saw/read about this a couple of years ago, but not in so much detail. Great work, as usual. Y'all do an amazing amount of research for these, and it shows.
Pete Mitchell
2023-08-17 00:50:11 +0000 UTCAwesome! Early .. 😁
Ryan Downing
2023-08-17 00:48:01 +0000 UTCI couldn't be assed to solve that, but is so cool that you did that for our betters. I look forward to the spoiler. I love you all. Even the fish.
Manny Melo
2023-08-17 00:47:39 +0000 UTCGreat episode! Find the conclusion of the story just like cicadas conclusion
Jacob Scott
2023-08-17 00:47:29 +0000 UTCAnother awesome episode from The Why Files! A puzzle…very cool!!!
Joe P
2023-08-17 00:41:07 +0000 UTComg a puzzle inside of a puzzle video.... SHEESH! probably a Find DINO image
Mystically
2023-08-17 00:31:07 +0000 UTCSo much better than last week’s episode.
Jason McCue
2023-08-17 00:26:05 +0000 UTCDid you do the goofy DaVinci Code puzzles?
Sibyle
2023-08-17 00:26:04 +0000 UTCI love puzzles and I’m pretty smart - but I’m also incredibly lazy. I bounced out of the Cicada thing pretty quickly. I always wondered about it though, and now I know. Thanks for this, it was great fun. Another fantastic win for the Fab WF Team!
louladylala
2023-08-17 00:24:21 +0000 UTCFacebook employed a similar intelligence gathering technique with their quizzes and surveys.
Sibyle
2023-08-17 00:24:14 +0000 UTCThis one bent my brain a little bit. Should sleep soundly tonight. Thanks gang!
Brian Sincerbeaux
2023-08-17 00:09:56 +0000 UTCThis video made me happy.
Ivari Tölp
2023-08-17 00:03:44 +0000 UTCReminds me quite a bit of the Latitude club in retrospect
Brian Jackson
2023-08-16 23:59:40 +0000 UTCPretty sure that it was never about open source encryption but a counterintelligence honey pot to identify gifted individuals in the art of cryptography in order to surveil and monitor. Just my opinion.
h0tline.actual
2023-08-16 23:57:35 +0000 UTCI'm smart. But since most of the text of this video sounded like a foreign language, I guess not smart enough. LOL (Or at least not smart enough in the right fields!)
Diane Given
2023-08-16 23:56:09 +0000 UTCAnd so, AJ cleverly informs us how he was originally recruited into a certain three-letter agency a few years back. Just kidding. I think. Another interesting story and another one I didn't know. Those are the best.
MikeD
2023-08-16 23:53:10 +0000 UTCI was finally here for the Patreon Premiere Unlock. After a few weeks of falling behind. And catching up. I am glad I am not late this time. Isn't this month Hecklefish month? I am looking forward to the shipment email to begin tracking him. Because once my cat and I have him? We can watch all upcoming episodes with hype and anticipation. Whether my cat is nestled with Hecklefish and I by then? Or off being playful, independent, and entertaining herself with her own thing. One thing is certain. Once Hecklefish is with us? It will be a Braum's meal that we can make sure to acquire for the occasion that can only be experienced to the fullest of maxed out fun in perpetual darkness during the middle of the night. That will be the celebratory way we do out best to watch WhyFiles. Because why go to a movie theater? When you can enjoy AJ, narration, on screen Hecklfish, talking stuffed doll Hecklfish toy, a cat, and tasty food for the occasion that there is no concierge to check your bag and demand you surrender outside food to pay for expensive food at a theater you don't have to go to in order to watch TheWhyFiles. We....are excited for that new ritual.
Saturn's Dad.
2023-08-16 23:52:25 +0000 UTCLoved the Cicada 3301 puzzle
Adrian Kemp
2023-08-16 23:52:20 +0000 UTCI didn’t solve it, but AJ emphasized the patreon list with “you should really check it out”. My guess is it’s in there??
sic Butcher
2023-08-16 23:41:56 +0000 UTCExcellent episode! I am not a puzzle person, but that was fascinating!
NikkiBubblesMom
2023-08-16 23:41:29 +0000 UTCLove......it.....the race is on!
Tripal Helix
2023-08-16 23:38:11 +0000 UTCYou went yard on another one. Sooo entertaining!!
sic Butcher
2023-08-16 23:37:52 +0000 UTCAnyone figure out the puzzle in this video? I’m amazed at those who are good at puzzles. My gifts lay elsewhere haha
Ashley Grace
2023-08-16 23:35:06 +0000 UTCThat was a learning experience!! Sweet - thanks!
NorthwoodsJen
2023-08-16 23:31:55 +0000 UTCI understand that. Now I’m scared. Lol
Mark william lane
2023-08-16 23:29:51 +0000 UTCCuriouser and curiouser
Mark william lane
2023-08-16 23:28:18 +0000 UTCArea code 214 is Dallas, not Austin.
The One True Chris
2023-08-16 23:27:57 +0000 UTCI wish I was this smart maybe someday. I’m not the person they were looking for. Haha
Ashley Grace
2023-08-16 23:22:04 +0000 UTCI can't watch this now, but have wanted the inside scope since it happened. Looking forward to it. I was told it was a recruiting tool for the intelligence agencies
Kevin Via
2023-08-16 23:15:53 +0000 UTCFirs…..shit! Foiled again!
Bosco Lemonzit
2023-08-16 23:11:11 +0000 UTC7th…….lol👍🏻
Jeff Pierce
2023-08-16 22:55:53 +0000 UTC6th! 😄
Mellie
2023-08-16 22:54:23 +0000 UTCGuess I won't be working much for the next 35 minutes 🙃
Colin Butterworth
2023-08-16 22:54:04 +0000 UTCLong day! Why files puts a smile on my day! Thank you guys
W
2023-08-16 22:53:25 +0000 UTCMy crappy day just got much better, thanks to this Patreon notification! Can't wait to get home and watch. TWF never fails to deliver ♥️ Edit: as expected, another great episode! On to the premiere/live on YT tonight!
Doc Hollidxy
2023-08-16 22:52:48 +0000 UTCI’ve been waiting for this one!
Matthew Zellar
2023-08-16 22:52:04 +0000 UTCLet’s F**king GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Jorge Henriquez
2023-08-16 22:51:45 +0000 UTCFirst
ELIAS HIDALGO
2023-08-16 22:51:42 +0000 UTC
