CICADA 3301 Purpose & Resolution

The stated purpose of the puzzles each year was to recruit “highly intelligent individuals”, although the ultimate purpose remains unknown.^[1] Some^[15] claimed that Cicada 3301 is a secret society with the goal of improving cryptography, privacy and anonymity.^[16] Others^[17] claimed that Cicada 3301 is a cult or religion. According to statements of several people who won the 2012 puzzle, 3301 typically uses non-puzzle-based recruiting methods, but created the Cicada puzzles because they were looking for potential members with cryptography and computer security skills.^[15]

The first puzzle, of 2012, was solved by Marcus Wanner.^[18] According to him, those who solved the puzzles were asked questions about their support of information freedom, online privacy and freedom, and rejection of censorship. Those who answered satisfactorily at this stage were invited to a private forum, where they were instructed to devise and complete a project intended to further the ideals of the group.^[15] He did not finish his work on a method of general decryption and the website was removed.^{[citation needed]}