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What does a spy agency give for Christmas? How about a riddle wrapped in an enigma inside a mystery?
GCHQ, Britain’s cyber and electronic intelligence agency, on Wednesday published its annual Christmas Challenge: a seasonal greeting card that doubles as a set of devilishly difficult riddles designed to excite young minds to crack figures and uncover clues.
The challenge is aimed at young people aged 11 to 18, who are encouraged to work in teams and use “lateral thinking, ingenuity and perseverance” to solve the seven puzzles set by GCHQ’s “internal riddles”.
The card is sent by the head of GCHQ (short for Government Communications Headquarters) to other national security chiefs around the world. The puzzles were first included in 2015 and have become an annual tradition. The card can be downloaded from the GCHQ website and has become popular with teachers – the agency says a third of British secondary schools have downloaded it.
The agency admits the holiday fun has an ulterior motive.
GCHQ director Anne Keast-Butler said she hoped the card would inspire young people to explore STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects “and consider what a career in cybersecurity and intelligence might have to offer”.
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It also aims to dispel some myths about intelligence work, fueled by super agent James Bond and other fictional spies.
GCHQ’s “chief enigma” Colin said the challenge is best solved through teamwork, in contrast to the popular image of the lone genius or lone secret agent.
“Don’t get me wrong: we have geniuses in the department,” said Colin, who only gave his name because of the secretive nature of his work. “But the most important thing is that we have a large number of people with different skills coming together.
“The skills we want are quite diverse. We like analytical skills but also lateral thinking skills. And we like the idea that some of these puzzles require some perseverance to get to the answer.”
The card features a map of the United Kingdom, linked to the places where GCHQ has bases, including its high-tech headquarters in Cheltenham, west of England, nicknamed the donut for its shape.
Many Britons are keen puzzle-solvers, and the link between puzzles and espionage is often celebrated, especially in the numerous books, films and television programs about Bletchley Park, a complex of buildings and wooden cottages northwest of London where, During World War II, hundreds of mathematicians, cryptologists, crossword puzzle experts, and computer pioneers worked to crack the secret codes of Nazi Germany.
Historians say his work shortened World War II by up to two years.
Colin said that among new recruits to GCHQ, “we are now hearing more and more that they first heard about GCHQ through baffling.”
“It definitely inspires people.”
Technology has come a long way since the days of Bletchley Park, but reassuringly, creating and solving puzzles is an area that still needs the human touch.
“AI doesn’t have a good track record in either creating or solving puzzles, not of this kind,” Colin said. “It’s still the case that people can solve interesting puzzles in a way that AI can’t, thank goodness.”
© 2024 The Canadian Press
