LONDON -- Britain's electronic snooping agency is using cryptic clues hidden in the Internet to attract new recruits.


GCHQ, which eavesdrops on international communications for the government, has placed a coded message on its web site at www.gchq.gov.uk/ challenge and invited job seekers to crack the puzzle.


The five-part coded message was posted before Christmas. It was cracked within 48 hours and since then 14 other people have solved it.