Cicada 3301: An Anonymous Recruitment System Disguised as a Cipher Game
On January 4, 2012, an account named 3301 posted an image of a cicada on the 4chan forum. The message said that the group was looking for very intelligent people. People who downloaded the image found hidden data inside it. They were then required to solve ciphers, read books, call a telephone number, follow GPS coordinates, and locate QR-code posters placed in cities around the world.
⬛ CONFIDENTIAL nhat141210/data 8/17/2026 1 min read
On January 4, 2012, an account named 3301 posted an image of a cicada on the 4chan forum. The message said that the group was looking for very intelligent people. People who downloaded the image found hidden data inside it. They were then required to solve ciphers, read books, call a telephone number, follow GPS coordinates, and locate QR-code posters placed in cities around the world.
On January 4, 2012, an account named 3301 posted an image of a cicada on the 4chan forum. The message said that the group was looking for very intelligent people. People who downloaded the image found hidden data inside it. They were then required to solve ciphers, read books, call a telephone number, follow GPS coordinates, and locate QR-code posters placed in cities around the world.
On January 4, 2012, an account named 3301 posted an image of a cicada on the 4chan forum. The message said that the group was looking for very intelligent people. People who downloaded the image found hidden data inside it. They were then required to solve ciphers, read books, call a telephone number, follow GPS coordinates, and locate QR-code posters placed in cities around the world.
On January 4, 2012, an account named 3301 posted an image of a cicada on the 4chan forum. The message said that the group was looking for very intelligent people. People who downloaded the image found hidden data inside it. They were then required to solve ciphers, read books, call a telephone number, follow GPS coordinates, and locate QR-code posters placed in cities around the world.
On January 4, 2012, an account named 3301 posted an image of a cicada on the 4chan forum. The message said that the group was looking for very intelligent people. People who downloaded the image found hidden data inside it. They were then required to solve ciphers, read books, call a telephone number, follow GPS coordinates, and locate QR-code posters placed in cities around the world.