In December, Robert Hannigan, director of GCHQ – the UK equivalent of the US NSA – published a Christmas card that included a challenge to the public. A puzzle, which turns out to be not so easy.
So far, over 600,000 people from all over the world have tried to crack the code, and no one has succeeded to date. It should be noted that 30,000 people have reached the final stage, but are unable to proceed.
The service says the puzzle-solving contest ends on January 31, so there are just over 48 hours left for those who want to try.
Of course after the competition ends, GCHQ will publish the solution in February.
The puzzle is in five stages, the first of which is a Nonogram shading grid challenge. If you manage to complete it correctly, you will generate a QR code that can be scanned with your phone to access the second part of the quiz.
Each section must be completed to display the next step, which apparently surpasses the previous one in difficulty.
Hannigan says: “We need people from all walks of life, with all abilities, who see problems from every angle.”
He also offers a little help: “It’s not as abstract as you think.”
So, if you think you have the skills, and want something to spend your weekend doing, crack the GCHQ puzzle.
