The challenge's entry point was a phone number with a coded message. During the two-week competition period, CCSO received more than 1,200 calls.
“We hid clues in various forms all over campus,” Reynolds said. “The easiest clue to spot was our distinctive poster, but there were some stealthier options for students who were paying attention.”
To win, a competitor had to solve all the puzzles in a row. There were multiple paths through the challenge, but those who started with the poster had to make it through 12 unique puzzles to win.
Four students — two teams of two — emerged victorious from the pool of competitors, solving the entire conspiracy.
Anthony Cruz, a fourth-year student majoring in biology in the Eberly College of Science, and Jason Selsley, a fourth-year student majoring in enterprise technology integration in the College of IST, finished first.
“I learned about the competition from the posters around campus,” Cruz said. “There was a phone number and Morse code, and I was immediately hooked — I kept getting coded message after coded message while learning a lot about cryptology. Jason and I worked for about two weeks straight and had a lot of fun.”
Matt Cleary and Andrew Grabowy, both third-year students majoring in cybersecurity analytics and operations, took second place.
Cleary saw a flyer with a phone number and warped QR codes posted throughout Westgate Building, which houses the College of IST.
“I was interested in what the end goal was,” he said. “I had a lot of fun trying to solve each individual puzzle, while learning new skills and lessons that ranged from new ways to look at and solve puzzles to how working with someone else makes problem-solving easier.”
This was CCSO’s first year running an ARG, but it won’t be the last.
“We plan to make this an annual event at Penn State,” Reynolds said. “We were inspired by famous internet puzzles like Cicada 3301 and events like Virginia Tech’s annual VTHunt.”
Reynolds, who also serves as CCSO’s Capture the Flag team captain, directed the event with development and deployment help from fellow CCSO members:
- Glen Ankney, social team
- Brooke Connelly, secretary
- Haidyn DiPaolo, treasurer
- Owen Dransfield, vice president
- Aidan Ethier, Blue Team captain
- Aiden Johnson, tech director
- Braeden Jones, social team
- Isabella Masso, president
- Jonathan Skeete, Red Team captain
- Maguire Younes, tech team
Nick Giacobe, associate teaching professor, and Tyler Estright, student success supervisor — both from the College of IST — helped facilitate the challenge. IST alumni Liam Geyer, Jenna Fox and Josh Merrill also contributed to the project.
“The Conspiracy appeals to anyone, not just cybersecurity majors,” Reynolds said. “Competitors came from a range of fields, including electrical engineering, data science and biotechnology. No prior knowledge was needed to solve our puzzles — just curiosity and determination! ... It’s never too late to start exploring cybersecurity. Students who missed the challenge this year may want to keep their eyes open next fall.”