The GCHQ, one of three UK intelligence agencies along with MI5 and MI6, has set up a website that contains a visual code for prospective cyberspies to crack in order to get an interview, according to the Guardian newspaper.
The agency has seeded a message into blogs and forums frequented by cyber geeks with a “keen interest in code breaking and ethical hacking”, the newspaper explained.
The effort to attract “ethical” hackers is designed to expand GCHQ’s pool of job applicants outside colleges and universities.
The TMP Worldwide marketing campaign is being run without any branding for the agency, the paper said. In fact, no mention of it can be found on the GCHQ website.
"The digital arena is fast moving, and from a recruitment perspective we acknowledge the need to engage with prospective candidates in new and innovative ways. With this marketing initiative we hope to reach out to a broader audience, who may not be attracted to traditional advertising methods", a GCHQ spokesman told the newspaper.
While GCHQ is looking for skilled hackers, it will not tolerate cheaters. Anyone who is found to have illegally hacked the code will not be eligible for recruitment, according to the spokesman.
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