???

a mock "ransomware" screen, WannaCry-flavored, entirely for laughs. nothing is encrypted, nothing leaves this tab, no crypto wallet involved — the demand is a riddle or a game of tic-tac-toe instead. click below.

site navigation (what's being "held"):
back to the lab
initiating full system scan...
scanning navigation menu...
scanning navigation menu... found something.
it was not looking for you. now it is.
☠
YOUR NAVIGATION HAS BEEN ENCRYPTED

the menu you were trying to use now belongs to us. we don't want bitcoin — frankly, setting up a wallet sounded like a lot of work. answer the riddle, or beat us at tic-tac-toe, and it's yours again.

TIME REMAINING BEFORE WE GET BORED AND GIVE IT BACK ANYWAY
10:00
...time's up. we're giving it back anyway. we were never going to keep it.

option A: riddle

i have keys but no locks. i have space but no room. you can enter, but you can't go outside. what am i?

option B: tic-tac-toe

you're X. beat us. a draw doesn't count — we're petty like that.

your move.
access restored. that wasn't so bad, was it.