Zodiackillersite.com

Curious if any of our resident cipher whizzes are familiar with this or know anything more about it...

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cicada-3301 ... mystified/

I've been following the progress. You can join the IRC and just listen in (or post) here:

http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=33012014

-glurk

Any guesses what the goal is or who/what is behind this? A recruiting tool for the CIA, NSA or GCHQ perhaps? That would seem to make a lot of sense.

The Death's Head Moth was the first thing that popped into my mind seeing that as well, Daniel.

Various spy agencies have used these types of public cipher challenges as a recruitment tool for the type of smart, techno-savvy people they are looking to hire. It's actually a pretty brilliant way of recruiting, IMO. Perhaps the whole NSA scandal has forced these agencies to be a bit more subtle or perhaps it is a similar recruitment drive for some non-government agency like Anonymous. Sounds like only the lucky few who succeed will find out what it's all about. Kinda interesting though...

http://www.itv.com/news/2013-09-11/gchq ... uit-staff/

I think it's either Dan Brown sifting ideas for his next novel, or perhaps Thomas Harris, slumming.

Actually, that would make a mighty nifty concept for the next Dan Brown novel, smithy. The murderous secret society advertises for new recruits through an on-line cipher challenge. The brilliant Harvard med student solves the puzzle and is indoctrinated into their dark web of intrigue... which likely involves saving the Pope from a secret coordinated assassination plot by the Masons, CIA and reverse vampires yada yada yada.

Hurry up and solve the damn thing so I don't have to waste my time reading the book.

Or it's Julian Assange recruiting again.