# A recruitment exercise by an intelligence or security agency.

> Disputed: A recruitment exercise by an intelligence or security agency.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/cicada-3301/answers/ANS0D7R7118595J/a-recruitment-exercise-by-an-intelligence-or-security-agency  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Questions](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions)[Cicada 3301](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/cicada-3301)[Who set the Cicada 3301 puzzles, and why?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/cicada-3301/questions/QST0D7R6Z2R63QN/who-set-the-cicada-3301-puzzles-and-why)Answer

Answer · Cicada 3301

# A recruitment exercise by an intelligence or security agency.

A recruitment exercise by an intelligence or security agency.

**Disputed** Answers **1** questionPublished0

## Where it stands

**Disputed** None pieces of evidence for, two against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

## What it predicts

- Finishers were later approached by or worked for an agency.
- The puzzles test skills specific to signals intelligence or cryptanalysis.

## What would rule it out

- Finishers' accounts with no agency contact; or a setter identified outside government.

## Evidence none for · 2 against

[Agencies have recruited through puzzles, but GCHQ's were openly branded; a service would hardly recruit on…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/cicada-3301/evidence/EVD0D7R71925VA1/agencies-have-recruited-through-puzzles-but-gchqs-were)

Suggestive

AGAINST

[The puzzles test internet skills and general knowledge more than cryptography.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/cicada-3301/evidence/EVD0D7R71GW5P0Z/the-puzzles-test-internet-skills-and-general-knowledge-more)

Suggestive

AGAINST

## The questions it answers

[Who set the Cicada 3301 puzzles, and why?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/cicada-3301/questions/QST0D7R6Z2R63QN/who-set-the-cicada-3301-puzzles-and-why)

Most likelyA private international group of privacy and anti-censorship technologists, recruiting like-minded people for…

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). A recruitment exercise by an intelligence or security agency. [Answer ANS0D7R7118595J]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0D7R7118595J
```

Key

**ANS** 0D7R7118595J

Kind

Answer · hypothesis

Origin

Published

Version

1

Added by

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