SCP-2801

Item #: SCP-2801

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: A copy of SCP-2801 is currently held at Site-19.

All Foundation personnel are to undergo screening for SCP-2801-1 infection on a monthly biweekly basis. Additional screenings may be mandated by the site security director. All infected persons not held for research purposes are to be immediately terminated. No recordings of infected persons are to be made, and all other cognitohazardous material containing SCP-2801-1 are to be destroyed.

Foundation webcrawlers are to monitor file-sharing websites and hacker forums for copies of SCP-2801 or related materials. MTF Sigma-5 ("'; DROP TABLE taskforces --") is to remove these copies as soon as possible upon detection in compliance with standard data supression protocols.

MTF Theta-8 ("Blue Pills") is currently responsible for identifying and neutralizing persons or organizations in possession of SCP-2801. Utilization of Project Lethe and/or SCP-2000 is currently under consideration.

Description: SCP-2801 refers to a software for Linux-based operating systems capable of generating Class-II cognitohazards as audio or image files, using a variety of common formats. The effects of the hazards generated are determined by user-written code similar in syntax to the C programming language. SCP-2801 was freely distributed on 2018/3/17 on the hacker forum [REDACTED] under the title "Neurocrack", and has since been redistributed multiple times from various sources despite Foundation containment efforts.

SCP-2801 has demonstrated the ability to create self-propagating cognitohazards, referred to as SCP-2801-1, that are capable of nearly complete control over a host's behavior. This can include motor control, memory access, and psionic field manipulation, among other aspects. Over 100 unique SCP-2801-1 variants have been identified in the wild as of 2018/11/12, which are typically used for financial gain or as offensive tools, although other uses are not uncommon. Unless otherwise specified by its creators, SCP-2801-1 infection is permanent, and an effective treatment has not yet been found.

While the user-created nature of SCP-2801-1 variants means very few traits apply to every one, a few generalizations can be made regarding SCP-2801-1 behavior. Most SCP-2801-1 variants spread through the use of cognitohazards present in the speech of infected persons. In addition, variants often construct telepathic networks among infected persons, which can then be used for data exfiltration or to remotely control variant behavior, and variants with design flaws can unintentionally cause epileptic seizures. Infected persons are rarely aware of these symptoms.

See Document X3B-2801-RQ for descriptions of all known variants.

Addendum 2801: The following is a timeline of events related to SCP-2801 and SCP-2801-1.