Blog Posts (2022)/Article 101

# **The Curious Case of C.O.G.S., Inc.**

\*bzzt\*

Alriiight, okay, seems like this is working again. We're back on track.

Hello, Toons of Toontown. This is Mac Opsys speaking once again--with a much more secure and Cog-proof connection this time, of course. I have tinkered with and perfected all the systems needed to get this message across to all of you out there, with an absolute 0% chance of Brian-related interruptions. It is of the utmost importance that I have as many hands on deck as I can afford for this, so listen closely. Toons, I have successfully gained access to the internal employee data of the Cogs. While monitoring all recent entries, something very alarming had come to my attention--

**Oh! Oh! I know what it is!**

Wh- Winn? What did I say about walking into my room without warning? I'm in the middle of a message... You know how important this is--

**Whoops, sorry. I'm just go-going to sit here in the back, don't mind me.**

Apologies, that's just my assistant... So, as I was saying: *It has come to my attention that the Cogs have recently hired a total of **16 new managers.*** And that's a huge number. That's a *dangerous* number. We have no idea what those new hires are capable of doing, so this is where you all come in. I have currently managed to decrypt part of the login information of 4 of the new hires, and am working on getting the rest, so... ... Where did I leave that paper-- Uh...

Actually, hey Winn, can you keep the transmission going for me while I get my papers?

**O-Oh! Sure! I'll keep 'em entertained for you

...

So, what's everybody's favorite knock-knock joke? Mine is the one that goes like this: Knock Knock...

...

Hmm, I guess it only works when you can hear the other side. That's ki-kinda lame... It was a really good one, y'know.**

Okay, okay, I found it, thanks. Where was I-- Right! I currently have 4 names, and I need the most capable of Toons out there to assist me in getting into the accounts of all 16 managers through the Cog's employee panel. Dig as deep as you can, look through every inch of Toontown for any clue that a Cog may have left behind, the future of our town rests in making sure the Toon Resistance will be prepared for the arrival of the new hires.

I am counting on all of you.

https://cogs.ink

*A mysterious document.*

**Notes from the Corporate Clash Team**

This mystery is the biggest one by far and there are a lot of places to explore in cogs.ink. To keep the experience fun for everybody, we have a few things for you to keep in mind:

* This mystery is entirely online, with no real-life components (such as phone lines or physical locations). Any resemblances to real-life locations or information is purely coincidental.
* All information required to solve the mystery is available on the cogs.ink website, within Corporate Clash, or in otherwise publicly available / standarized, well-known locations.
* The mystery **does not require you to enter personal details**, such as your Corporate Clash account username, email or password.
* Play fair - Do not attempt to brute-force crack the passwords via automated means or otherwise abuse the cogs.ink website. The puzzles you encounter might get highly technical, so if you're not sure what you're doing is fair play, email it-support@cogs.ink to find out.
* Our standard Terms of Services and Privacy Policy apply.

Teamwork makes the dream (of cracking this case) work, so why not join the conversation in the Corporate Clash Discord and band together with your fellow mystery-solvers?

Nice work, Toons! With your teamwork, 8 of the 16 manager profiles have been cracked so far! The Cogs surely won't be able to hide anything with you on our side. Mac has delivered us a special package; more usernames!

*More passwords!*

You're making tremendous progress, Toons. We can already feel the Cogs quaking in their metallic shoes! Let's keep the hunt going, shall we?

*Even more passwords!*

Mac is sure of its analysis: we're almost at the end of this mystery. Let's push through this homestretch, Toons! It's not long now until this mystery fully unravels!

*The final set of passwords.*

A secret document from C.O.G.S., Inc. has been found?! Could this lead to a login, too?

*The Weekly Crossword*

For those of you who haven't been following, here's a list of usernames and passwords for cogs.ink that the community has found so far!

Prethinker (brian - password)

Multislacker (bravecogcathal - aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa)

Deep Diver (annamary - competitorbandwidth)

Rainmaker - (monsoonmisty - Calmbef0reThEm0nsOon)

Pacesetter - (paysergraham - mileaminute)

Mouthpiece - (damabelle - cassiedama)

Duck Shuffler - (rufflerbuck - bettingonnblaack)

Major Player - (brubotdave - dQw4w9WgXcQ)

Firestarter - (bonpyreflint - andst33l)

Featherbedder - (estatawney - Realh0useofZZZs)

Plutocrat - (kuipercosmo - OffShoreFshSleepOver)

Chainsaw Consultant - (revvingtonchip - youcantfireme)

Treekiller - (campbellspruce - makelikeatreeandleaf

Bellringer (biggsbenjamin - RingaLingRing7)

Your work has been amazing so far, Toons! Keep it up!