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New coin’s challenge of a secret code

The new coin has an encrypted code on it. Photo: Royal Australian Mint.

A new coin has been released by the Australian Mint with a secret code only the sharpest people will be able to crack.

Cloaked in four layers of secret code, the 50 cent coin – released yesterday (September 1) – marks the 75th anniversary of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), the agency responsible for signals intelligence, cyber warfare and cyber security.

And if you can work out what is written on the coin, the Australian cyber-spy agency wants to hear from you.

“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,” Director-General Rachel Noble said.

“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.”

When broken, the code contains special messages about the ASD and its historical evolution as an organisation in Australia dating back to the second world war.

Fifty thousand of the coins have been produced, for sale through the Mint’s online portal.

The ASD will reveal the answers at the end of September.

 

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Belinda Strahorn

Belinda Strahorn

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