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Cybus Industries starts tweeting on July 27th
On July 31st, they tweet a travel promo. Two QR Codes in this image link to
https://www.camdenmarket.com/shops/cyberdog
A bar, and
https://qrco.de/bdDEya
A classified UNIT image
- Clue 1
- Clue 2
- Clue 3
- Clue 4
- Clue 5
- Clue 6
- Clue 7
- Clue 8
- Clue 9
- Clue 10
- Clue 11
- Clue 12
- Clue 13
- Clue 14
- Clue 15
- Breakout
Cybus tweet about a security breach. The following image is tweeted
The text contained is
68 74 74 70 73 3a 2f 2f 71 72 63 6f 2e 64 65 2f 62 64 44 71 76 51
This can be decoded from hexadecimal to a link
That page hosts the following image, an email from Keith Simpson (Head of Digital Security) to Steven Crest (CEO)
This email features an attachment that isn't fully legible, 'full_colour_cctv_leak.jpg', and an encryption key at the bottom
73 68 6f 72 74 75 72 6c 2e 61 74 2f 46 4e 52 54 55
This decodes from hexadecimal to a (now defunct) link
That link had the colour cctv image
This image can also be found using the filename in the email
https://cybusindustries.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/full_colour_cctv_leak.jpg
Cybus Industries release a video statement about the tragic death of Magpie, who fell out of a window following his plan to buy the company
In this video, the word 'parakeet' is seen in the corner of a section
This can be appended to the Cybus website
https://cybusindustries.org/parakeet
This page contains the following image, named 'CONTROL.png'
This image can be seen on the website at
https://cybusindustries.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CONTROL.png
It also contains a link to the security logon page
https://cybusindustries.org/security/
With the following information:
username: tarker_naomi01
password: xxxxxxxxxx
Naomi Tarker was revealed to be an alias of Steff Porter, and Ex-Employee, in the previous clue
Cybus tweets, then deleted, the following
Note: The following is from another twitter account, preserving the text of the second deleted tweet
The first tweet contains the text 66 61 74 61 6c 5f 73 79 73 74 65 6d 5f 65 72 72 6f 72
Which decodes from hexadecimal to be
fatal_system_error
This can be added into the URL from the image in clue 2,
https://cybusindustries.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/FILENAME.png
to become
https://cybusindustries.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/fatal_system_error.png
Which is
This image contains a faint overlay of an email from Crest to Simpson, discussing Simpsons failure as head of digital security. There is also mention of a second encryption key
B&E)H@McQfTjWmZq
The second tweet contains the text
G5+sNrgMWpPYU4LKLiRy1g==
Keys are used in a wide range of encyption, an obvious form being AES. Using the key & text given in this clue, the text is decrypted to base64, then plain text, revealing
the_C
Using the security information revealed in Clue 2, the password is now
the_CXXXXX
This is confirmed by Steff Porter
Cybus tweets a promotion for their upgrade, urging viewers to get Beach Ready
The top-right corner of the image contains the text 'seagull', as well as a Seagull on the Cybermans shoulder
This can then be added to the Cybus website
https://cybusindustries.org/seagull
This page contains another image
Cybus tweets a link to buy their Exosuit figurines http://cybusindustries.org/figures
Clicking the Add To Basket button takse you to the following
http://cybusindustries.org/woodpecker
That contains the following image
The Return Policy links to an unlisted YouTube video called help help
There are several things in this video
The description of the video says to check the tags. This can be done using Inspect Element, to inspect the 'head' element of the webpage, specifically the 'keywords' meta tag
This says
Encryption key, G5+sNrgMWpPYU4LKLiRy1g==, l8Tw5CYnLtyRI6rXd1YUSA==
The first weird string is one we have seen before, in Clue 3 to reveal the first portion of the password. The second one is new
By reversing the video, which can be found here
The audio becomes understandable.
Help
I dont have much time
They are attempting to trace my illiegal satelite system
They are hacking new eyes to search on the ground re routing (btm trap?) delayed them good one.
Listen
I already have leaked the systems encryption key
I have already leaked the first encryption of the password
The second portion is as follows:
l8Tw5CYnLtyRI6rXd1YUSA== (separated by dots?) More will follow. We can talk then.
Help. Help.
Using the encryption key from Clue 3, B&E)H@McQfTjWmZq, the new string can be decoded via AES to base64 and plain text
anary_
Adding this to the password we have already gives us
the_Canary_
This is the ten characters hinted at in Clue 2
Steff posts a (now defunct) link to an online jigsaw puzzle. Assembling it reveals more leaked emails
This is from Crest to Stephanie Sullivan, the new Head of Digital Security. He is warning her that she will be fired if these hacks and leaks continue.
This email mentions that there is 8 characters added to passwords for security reasons.
Cybus Industries tweet an image of an article about UNIT being replaced by CybusDefence.
There are pigeons edited into the image, which fits the theme of looking for birds for clues. Steff also tweets in reply, a collation of 'prize' images and associated hashtags, including #pigeon
This can be added to the Cybus website
https://cybusindustries.org/pigeon/
This inclues another image, this image has the word 'S i n' on it
Cybus tweets (now deleted) the following
The text 'mockingbird' in this can be added to the Cybus website
https://cybusindustries.org/mockingbird
This contains another image
There is also a password protected video
Steff (tweets)[https://twitter.com/SteffPorterC/status/1557493210506825728?cxt=HHwWgMC8hdb0qZ0rAAAA]
Taken with the tag of 'Sin', and the mockingbird clue, this refers to the quote 'It's a sin to kill a mockinbird'. The sin in this, is to kill a mockingbird. This phrase is the password for the video
tokillamockinbird
The video contains audio which needs to be reversed. This can be found here
The transcript
Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.
They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us.
That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.
You have them scared, you are close, they will come for you, you must be quick, the third portion of the encrypted password is here, find it before it is too late.
Within the video, there are flashes of characters in red. The video needs to be rotated 180 degrees, and played in reverse, to get the following characters
kplk6
When this is fed through a Caesar Cipher with a shift of 19, the decoding reveals
died6
Cybus tweet an announcement of their streaming service, Cybus Broadcasting Network.
There is a peacock in the center of the logo. This is another bird which can be added to the Cybus website
https://cybusindustries.org/peacock
Shortly after this, they tweet a high resolution promo image for The Late Late Show With Craig Owens
Steff replies to this image with a vandalised one
This image has a string of numbers running across Craigs neck, and throughout the background
74696d65206973207469636b696e672e20746865206d6f636b696e676269726420636f646520697320686572652e20
This can be decoded from hexadecimal to be
time is ticking. the mockingbird code is here.
The necessary code is somewhere in the image.
By zooming in on both Craig images, the Cybus and Steff versions, a code can be seen on his shirt
Note: This image has been rotated to be more readable
The text here is the same code seen in Clue 8
kplk6
Which can be shifted 19 places to
died6
This clue was likely released to aid in the previous Clue, given the difficulty of solving it.
Steff tweets that there are 3 characters remaining, the reemaining 3 in the security code in the password
Cybus tweets an advertisement for its Cyber Leaders program with a link
https://cybusindustries.org/cyberleaders/
There is an application form, which when filled out sends you an email including an attachment
This is a screenshot of an email from Crest to a Jamal Bennett, an employee involved in organising the UNIT handover process. They include an image in the screenshot of an 'animal' similar to what is being contained in facilities worldwide.
The name of this image can be added to the usual image URL
NOTE: The image in the email says jpg. The actual file is a png
https://cybusindustries.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/unit_archive_creature.png
The email also contains an encyption key
00 74 00 69 00 6e 00 79 79 00 75 00 72 00 6c 00 00 2e 00 63 00 6f 00 6d 00 2f 00 32 00 70 00 39 00 65 00 7a 00 65 00 68 00 61
This decodes from hexadecimal to
tinyyurl.com/2p9ezeha
The 00s throughout the text can be removed, they do not impact the decrypted text.
This URL leads to a document from Oklahoma State University abotu birds
https://okstateornithology.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/ornithology-lab-1.pdf
There are many birds in here, but the Sparrow gets several mentions. In addition, on the Cyber Leaders page the first letter of each paragraph in the "What Does It Take" section spell out SPARROW
This can be added to the Cybus website
https://cybusindustries.org/sparrow
Which contains another image
Steff tweets a video of her in the woods, followed by a loud noise similar to a Cyberman stomping
And replies to this, 'forgive my sins'
Shortly after, Cybus has their twitter account hacked and tweets (now deleted)
The account also tweets (now deleted) a link to an unlisted youtube video, the same as the video Steff uploaded
The video title
6920636f6d6d697474656420612063617264696e616c2073696e206920616d20736f727279
decodes from hex to
i committed a cardinal sin i am sorry
Cardinal is a type of bird seen in the file from Clue 10. There is no cardinal page, however. The tweet to 'follow the north star', and several mentions of 'northern' in the images are hints to the Northern Cardinal, which is a bird from that document
Adding northerncardinal to the Cybus website
https://cybusindustries.org/northerncardinal
Loads a page with another image
Thish as the text 'lifeless' and 'A W' imposed onto it
The page also links to another unlisted YouTube video
This is another reversed video. A reversed version, playing 'forward' can be seen here
Transcribed:
if you don't work you have no right to eat
And instead we need to have a different attitude to our mistakes and to our misdeeds.
Walt Whitman always admired animals because they do not lie awake at night and weep for their sins. Animals are practical in the real sense as are children
The first thing to understand is that it is not a serious failing in a human being to make mistakes. Everybody has to make mistakes.
These are quotes from poet Alan Watts. Alan Watts has a quote about lifelessness,
The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless
This focus on Alan Watts leads to a page on the website
https://cybusindustries.org/alanwatts
Which features an image of Watts with a portion of the wikiedia article
This page also included a link, clicking it would prompt you to tweet a link to a tweet of the lifeless quote
The page was later updated to include a YouTube video called 'purge', and a link to another quote by Watts
This is another video that needs to be reversed
Reversing it reveals there is music, 'One' by Harry Nilsson, with the following quote tead
One is a lonely number.
This feeling of being lonely and very temporary visitors in the universe is in flat contradiction to everything known about man and the sciences.
We do not come into this world, we come out of it, as leaves from a tree.
As the ocean "waves", the universe "peoples".
Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature.
A unique action of a total universe.
Individuality will be purged.
What makes us human will be purged.\
There is also beeping, morse code. This code is 'isolated' in a tweet by Steff
This can be identified as
-.. . .-.. . - . / - .... . / .-.. --- -. . .-.. -.-- / -. ..- -- -... . .-.
Which decodes to
DELETE THE LONELY NUMBER
Birth and Death are themes through the given quotes, and there are still 3 characters neeed for the password. Watts was born in 1915, and died in 1973. As these dates both lead with a 1, leaving 3 characters, one of these can be assumed to be the key. The instructions to purge, and delete, the lonely number are instructions to delete 1.
Watts' birth year, minus the leading 1, provides the final 3 characters
915
for a final password of
the_Canary_died6915
NOTE: This is a poor-ish clue. Removing the lonely number would mean both of the 1's would be deleted. There's no rationale for it to only be the leading 1, and 'trial and error' solutions are usually absent from ARGs
This password can be entered on the Security Mainframe page
https://cybusindustries.org/securitymainframe/
This page features a message from Steff and a countdown
NOTE: The security page seen earlier now has a link to this new mainrame page
The cybus logo has been defaced to the Preachers logo, and is called 'Teamwork' in the image upload
https://cybusindustries.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/teamwork-150x150.png
The Message from steff is
Your hard work has not gone unappreciated
Now I know you're skilled, I must ask for your help
I have been in their security software for months. Laying traps. Planning. Playing the long game
If we can gain access to their primary servers, we have a chance of exposing them for the evil they really are
However
If you're reading this I'm currently stuck in a cell
Most likely post-interrogation and awaiting more
If you're reading this, and I hope you are, ten I'm currnetly locked up. I might have been in this cell for days. But thankfully we know their security is useless.
I always knew they'd fine me eventually, that they'd bring me here. But we're one step ahead of them, as always.
It was a matter of time and a matter of acquiring enough help to plunder their server
At 18:00 16/08
You can unlock my cell from the outside
You can navigate this security system and bring the whole thing crashing down
~
**Stay tuned
**THEY ARE ALL JUST PUPPETS
Have you put the pieces of my picture puzzle together?
So at least you're beginning to understand what we are really up against?
Written in the standard 'corupt' aesethetic text.
There is a message thatthe page will update at 6pm on August 16th 2022.
- The text displayed has 'y' 'u' 'u', when copied these change to 'days' 'hours' 'minutes'
- There are barcode-like images displayed either side of these
- Viewing the pages sources reveals this font is called 'Libre Barcode EAN13 Text', available on Google Fonts
- The numbers that are visible are 308747283948
Cybus tweet an image advertising their upgrades as a way to avoid the heatwave.
The bird on the sign is a finch, leading to
https://cybusindustries.org/finch
This page contains another image
and a password protected Vimeo video.
Using the numbers from the barcode text earlier, this video can be unlocked
The video contains footage of a bird of paradise, leading to
https://cybusindustries.org/paradise
Which contains an image
Cybus tweet a link to their new range of NFTs
https://cybusindustries.org/NFTs
The artists name is P. Crane, crane is a bird, so
https://cybusindustries.org/crane
Which contains an image
And a video. This video can also be reached by clicking the Auction button on the NFT page
A reversed version of this video was posted to twitter by Steff, revealing the music to be 'somehwere over the rainbow' by July Garland.
This video includes a code
189-X667-EERT-4566-M16
The lyrics include
Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly
Leading to
https://cybusindustries.org/bluebird
Which has another image
Cybus tweet a link to their LoFi beats video
This features a hummingbird flying across the screen, leading to
https://cybusindustries.org/hummingbird
which contains another image, as well as the countdown from the mainframe page
The video also features a code for a brief moment 173-X261-CYBT-4562-MT1
Steff tweets a leaked email
This contains the text
6865726f6e
This can be decoded from Hex to
heron
Adding this to the Cybus website
https://cybusindustries.org/heron
Provides another image
The timer on the security mainframe was delayed a few times, but when it did hit 0, a YouTube video was uploaded by Steff
This directed viewer to the Security Mainframe page, which was updated with a link to Security Access
This has 2 login fields, needing passwords. The two codes left unused are
189-X667-EERT-4566-M16
173-X261-CYBT-4562-MT1
These codes are for User 1 and User 2, respectively. Each user when logged in reveals letters
User 1: conic
User 2: hopi
There have been several hints at puppets throughout the story, which informs the unscrambling to reveal
pinocchio
Entering this code to the security page reveals it has triggered a shutdown, a small resolution copy of the image pieced together, and a link to a (now deleted) livestream
During the livestream, Steff needed viewers to guide her to a communications cabinet, which was done via a series of twitter polls
Once she was there, a link to the Elevator Override was provided, needing another password. She tweeted a hint, the list of birds revealed so far and 'think like I think'
Many clues have been in Hex format. By taking the initial of each bird, and converting to hex, the password is obtained
HHBCPFCSPMPWSP
becomes
48 48 42 43 50 46 43 53 50 4d 50 57 53 50
Removing spaces is the final password,
4848424350464353504d50575350
Entering this password sucessfully helps Steff escape, seen in a final YouTube Video
The page also contains the final piece of the image
The final artefact image can now be assembled, which Steff tweets (minus the AW/LIFELESS/SIN overlay)
Steff tweets out a discord username, and promptly appears in the Preachers Discord, in a new channel to communicate with the Preachers directly.
Cybus tweets a promo for their upgrade program. Steff replies with a defaced image
The text in the background
NGY2ZTY1NDY2YzY1Nzc0NTYxNzM3NA==
Can be decoded from base64 (the == at the end indicate this) into hex
4f6e65466c657745617374
And from hex into text
OneFlewEast
This is a line from a childrens nursery rhyme, which a google search will reveal:
One flew east, one flew west\
One flew over the cuckoos nest
Using the theme of birds, cuckoo can be added to the Cybus website
https://cybusindustries.org/cuckoo
To reveal a page with the same image as Steffs tweet, and the word 'SHADES'
NOTE: The image on the page is titled
cuckoo-ptpd5g03q7n3h90sdk6oj7l1mgqkws15jdbnd76i6o.png
This middle section is unlike the usual format images have taken in the game so far, with is usually being the resolution. It is unclear if this is intentional, or just a wordpress processing issue.
Steff provides an update in the communications channel, saying the first word is out there (SHADES), and more will come.
Steff tweets a QR code with the text 'good luck catching them swans then', which links to a scene from Hot Fuzz featuring swans.
This leads to
https://cybusindustries.org/swan/
This page features a password protected video. In a tweet made around this time, Cybus Industries mention the code
TIMES20
Which is the password for this video. Following this, Steff responded to her earlier tweet with this image
This is in the style of a spectrogram. Running the video through a spectrogram produces
The text is
duckie
The /swan page also includes this image
This hairstyle, the name 'duckie', and the general style of the room are all hints to the film 'Pretty In Pink'. This is the password
prettyinpink
Entering this password reveals the next 'word', Pretty
Cybus tweets a poster for their upcoming pirate film, Henry Avery
The parrot in the image is a clue to
https://cybusindustries.org/parrot/
This page features a genuinely horrific image of a parrot, as the cover for the Cybus e-book version of 'Treasure Island'
This image links to a PDF copy of Treasure Island, with some modifications.
There are a number of letters throughout the PDF that are in blue, like so
In total, the following blue sections are found:
Page 2: e
Page 24: x
Page 68: e
Page 70: y
Page 76: S
Page 88: v
Page 180: nt
Page 197: si
These can be unscrambled to reveal 'Seventysix', which is NOT the password.
In the PDF properties, the keywords contain a link to an image.
https://cybusindustries.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/SPC.png
Viewing this image reveals the following, a PNG image with small holes in it (may not display properly but trust me there are little holes in this image)
This image can be placed over page 76 to reveal the following. Paint3D was used for this, by lining up the provided image with the black rectangle around the page edge.
Joining the letters through the holes reveals
terrorised
Which when entered into the page, reveals a Youtube Video and link to another page, pieces-of-eight. This page asks for a password, which is revealed below.
The video linked to above is a 2010 upload with a talking parrot, for a Treasure Island theatre production. The comments section contains a comment by Cybus Industries, linking to another video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aNGIU7pTnQ&t=108s
This video is discussing the New Theatre Royal production of treasure island. The link contains a timecode to start the video exactly halfway through.
After this, Cybus Industries tweet out a new poster for their film, with the star having undergone an upgrade
This poster includes some text on the gun
dGlueXVybC5jb20vbTMyNTgzNzQ=
Which is decoded from Base64 to
tinyurl.com/m3258374
A link to the New Theatre Royals wikipedia page. This page mentions that the capacity is 667. This is the password for the pieces-of-eight page, for some reason. It is unclear what was supposed to indicate the capacity was the answer, and this appears to be another trial and error puzzle.
This password reveals another 'word', 15:30
Steff would later tweet that we now have 3 out of 5 pieces of information
Cybus tweets an image of a news site.
In the top, the local councillor mentioned is Robin Sinclair. Robin is a bird, leading to
https://cybusindustries.org/robin
This page has a Google Street View of Tower Bridge, and a password box. The bus in the Street View can be zoomed in on to reveal it is number 78
Entering 78 into the password box reveals a button with the text 'ALL ABOARD'
Clicking this takes you to a new page
https://cybusindustries.org/jamal_bennett/
This has another Street View and password box. Zooming in on the building in the background shows the text 'the arms'
Entering 'the_arms' into the password box reveals more information on the page. A profile for Jamal Bennett, the man handling the UNIT handover for Cybus
And a leaked email discussing the need to begin testing on 'SP6' and progression to human trials
As well as a countdown, which does not feature the minutes aspect
Following the previous step, a number of odd tweets went out from Cybus
The error code
01011111 01110100 01101000 01100001 01110100
can be decoded as
_that
The Cybus account tweets a thread
The tweets are the equivalent of
Thank you for contacting Cybus Industries, we appreciate your message and our team will respond shortly
Position: CEO, Cybus Industries
Email: s.crest01@cybusindustries.org
Status: Alive
Position: (Former) Head of Digital Security, replaced by Stephanie Sullivan
Email: keith.simpson@cybusindustries.org
Status: Missing.
Position: (Former) Head of Digital Security
Email: stephanie.sullivan@cybusindustries.org
Status: Missing.
Position: UNIT Handover
Email: jamal.bennett@cybusindustries.org
Status: Alive
Position: Executive Social Manager
Email: molly.wingrove@cybusindustries.org
Status: Alive
Occupation: Tech Genius, founder of Magpie Electronics
Context: Wanted to buyout Cybus
Status: Deceased after 'falling' throgh a window
Occupation: Author
Instagram: @johnsimmonds67
Status: Alive
Occupation: Ex-Cybus employee, helpful ally on Twitter
Context: Provides leaked information via Twitter @steffPorterC
Alias: Naomi Tarker
Username: tarker_naomi01
Status: Escaped from Cybus, now off-grif\
Following her escape, Cybus announced that her parents had been forcibly upgraded into Cybermen.
Pages tweeted by the Cybus Industries twitter account
- Homepage: https://cybusindustries.org/
- Figurine Store: https://cybusindustries.org/figures/
- Leadership Applications: https://cybusindustries.org/cyberleaders
- NFT Page: https://cybusindustries.org/NFTs
Pages discovered through leaks and hints
- Parakeet: https://cybusindustries.org/parakeet
- Seagull: https://cybusindustries.org/seagull/
- Woodpecker: http://cybusindustries.org/woodpecker
- Pigeon: https://cybusindustries.org/pigeon/
- Mockingbird: https://cybusindustries.org/mockingbird
- Peacock: https://cybusindustries.org/peacock/
- Sparrow: https://cybusindustries.org/sparrow/
- Finch: https://cybusindustries.org/finch
- Crane: https://cybusindustries.org/crane
- Paradise: https://cybusindustries.org/paradise
- Bluebird: https://cybusindustries.org/bluebird
- Hummingbird: https://cybusindustries.org/hummingbird
- Heron: https://cybusindustries.org/heron
- Cuckoo: https://cybusindustries.org/cuckoo
- Swan: https://cybusindustries.org/swan
- Parrot: https://cybusindustries.org/parrot
- Robin: https://cybusindustries.org/robin
- Security: https://cybusindustries.org/security/
- Security Mainframe https://cybusindustries/securitymainframe/ (This was a late addition, with the Security page now linking to it)
- Alan Watts: https://cybusindustries/alanwatts/
- Security Access: https://cybusindustries.org/security-access/
- Security User 1: https://cybusindustries.org/security-user-1/
- Security User 2: https://cybusindustries.org/security-user-2/
- Elevator Override: https://cybusindustries.org/elevator-override/
- Pieces of Eight: https://cybusindustries.org/pieces-of-eight/
- jamal_bennett: https://cybusindustries.org/jamal_bennett/
From the Travel promo
From the leadership email
This image is referred to in an email from Cybus, revealing they have several of these creatures in storage vaults across the world
This is an online game, with the main accounts being @CybusIndus as the 'game master' and @SteffPorterC as our 'ally', an ex-employee
This seemingly takes place within the world of Doctor Who, with Cybus Industries having become a global company pursuing the goal of upgrading humans into cybermen. It is littered with references to both classic and modern Doctor Who stories, as well as fun jokes about our modern world (Elon Magpie, Cyber Prince Andrew, etc.)
An ARG requires the players (us) to be crafty, looking for little hidden details in images or webpages, decrypting codes, and picking up on hints.
A community discord has started up, found here, where players share ideas, findings, and work through the mystery.
The below sites have been useful in cracking puzzles so far. They are not exclusive, but are very handy
This is an old form of communication, with letters and numbers represented as dots and dashes, and spaces as slashes.
Cryptii has a useful tool for encoding and decoding these messages
This is a fairly common simple encrypting method. You just move each letter a certain number of letters down the alphabet. ABC shifted by 3 becomes DEF, as each letter is advanced by 3.
Cryptii has a Caesar Shift tool, which may come in handy
This is common throughout the ARG. Hexadecimal is just a waya of representing data using characters between 0 and 9, and A to F. Each 'normal' letter is represented as a pair of hex characters (a 'normal' capital A is represented by 41 in hexadecimal)
Cryptii has a tool to do this. Just paste the encoded hex string into the left, and if it can be decoded, it will appear on the right
This is more advanced than hexadecimal encoding. One letter is not always represented the same way, due to the maths used when encoding data. For example, "a" is turned into "YQ==", while "aaa" becomes "YWFh". Often, you can recognise base64 by equals signs (=) at the end of a string, as this is used to increase the length to a valid size for the process
Cryptii again has a useful tool for this.
This is even more advanced. In AES, the 'normal' text is encrypted using a special 'key' using advanced maths, to produce the encrypted text. Similarly, decryption also requires the use of that key, to get the correct output
Devglan has a great tool for this. If you enter the encrypted text, and key, into the relevant boxes, it will decode it. This tool offers decrypting to base64 as well as plaintext, which cuts out a handy middleman
Sometimes, ARG makers will add hidden information to a website. You can see these by using the 'Inspect Element' tool in your browser. Typically, you jsut need to right click a page then choose 'inspect'. Look out for HTML comments which look like <!-- comment text -->