The first image, posted to 4chan in January 2012

The first image, posted to 4chan in January 2012: picture

The first image, posted to 4chan in January 2012: photo

The opening clue of the first round. Its hidden text, read with a text editor, led to the next step; the original file as posted is kept only in solvers' archives.

Cicada 3301, 2012. Public domain

Copies 2

PictureCicada 3301 · commons.wikimedia.org · Public domain (text only, below the threshold of originality)1 step from the original

Where it's published

PhotoCicada 3301 (uploaded from the Uncovering Cicada wiki) · commons.wikimedia.org · 2012-01-04 · Public domain (text only, below the threshold of originality)Primary source: File:Cicada3301's First Message.jpg1 step from the original

Where it's published Download

Sources 1

Cicada: Solving the Web's Deepest MysterySRC

Cite it

Mysteries Department. (2026). The first image, posted to 4chan in January 2012 [Artifact ART0D7R78BM7F6H]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ART0D7R78BM7F6H

@misc{mysteriesdept_art0d7r78bm7f6h,
  title     = {The first image, posted to 4chan in January 2012},
  author    = {{Mysteries Department}},
  year      = {2026},
  note      = {Artifact, catalog key ART0D7R78BM7F6H},
  url       = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ART0D7R78BM7F6H}
}