Fancy yourself an expert puzzler? Then you might want to turn your mind to this limited-edition 50-cent coin released to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD).
The agency – which handles cyber-warfare, cyber-security, and signals intelligence – was founded in 1947 and to mark the occasion, the Royal Australian Mint has worked with ASD to design a coin containing four separate layers of code.
“ASD has a long history that all Australians can be proud of, helping to protect the nation from foreign threats, and keeping us safer by preventing and disrupting online threats including cyber criminals,” said Rachel Noble PSM, ASD’s Director-General.
“This exciting coin release challenges Australians to engage with the sorts of problem-solving that our talented people at ASD do every day, and might even be a pointer to a new career with us for those who can crack it.”
According to Ms Noble, while the upper layers of code can be solved by hand with a good old-fashioned pencil and paper, you’ll definitely want a computer once you go deeper in.
“Though some coding for the coin originated with the Roman Empire, there is remarkably still a place for them in modern intelligence.
“I am immensely impressed of the people who work at ASD and this coin celebrates their work, as well as giving all Australians a glimpse of our history of protecting the nation from harm.
“If you love puzzles and solving problems, and if you can discover the messages on our 75th anniversary coin, then a career at ASD may be just what you’re looking for,” she said.
Astonishingly, a 14-year-old Tasmanian boy reportedly figured it out in less than an hour… but if Ms Noble is to be believed, there’s a secret fifth layer nobody’s found yet.
If you think you’ve cracked it, you can let the ASD know here before the end of September.
