GCHQ quiz tests your ability to become a spy: do you have what it takes?

An image puzzle has been released by government spies from the GCHQ listening post in an attempt to entice fresh agents.

The brainy lot who figure out the puzzle might be suited working with the world's top code-breakers.

An unrelated brain-teaser last Christmas from GCHQ also had the internet in meltdown.

Here’s what you need to do to see if you’ve got the brains for the challenge.

How the GCHQ quiz works

To provide prospective candidates with a taste of what it's like to work with His Majesty's Secret Service, specialists produced a visual puzzle. There are thirteen pieces hidden throughout the image that correspond to the alphabet's letters.

Finding those letters and putting them together to disclose a secret message is the test.

Here is the image:

(GCHQ)

When will the answer be revealed?

The answer will be revealed on Thursday, 14 March at the earliest.

A sign directing to Cheltenham, Manchester, Scarborough, and Bude—some of GCHQ's designated offices—can be seen in the image.

People who “process information differently and possess strong lateral-thinking skills” are the target audience for the puzzle, according to GCHQ, which was created in collaboration with Manchester-based artist Justin Eagleton.

In addition, the firm announced that it was providing the puzzle to commemorate the debut of its LinkedIn page.

The purpose of the LinkedIn page is to “recruit a mix of minds to tackle the toughest challenges facing the UK and counter real-world and online threats from nation states, criminal groups, terrorists and individuals”.

GCHQ director Anne Keast-Butler said: “The world is getting more complex and we're only ever going to stay ahead of those threats by bringing together the right mix of minds that lets us tackle the challenges ahead”.

It follows MI5 chief Ken McCallum's revelation that Chinese spies had tapped into about 20,000 Britons on LinkedIn.

According to him, agents from China, Russia, and Iran pretended to be hiring consultants. He said: “Week by week, our teams detect massive amounts of covert activity by the likes of China in particular, but also Russia and Iran.”