UK intelligence agency GCHQ is turning to social networking sites to promote a code-breaking challenge designed to attract new staff.
The organisation will direct potential candidates to the competition, hosted on an anonymous website, via sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
If the layers of code it has set are cracked, applicants will be presented with a keyword to enter into a form field. They will then be re-directed to the GCHQ website, where hopefuls will find details of the types of roles which should reflect their skills.
It is hoped the recruitment strategy will help attract candidates who might not normally apply by conventional avenues.
A spokesman for GCHQ said: "Traditionally, cyber specialists enter the organisation as graduates. However, with the nature of computer threats ever-changing, it is essential we allow candidates who may be self-taught, but have a keen interest in code-breaking and ethical hacking, to enter the recruitment route too.
"Our target audience is not typically attracted to traditional advertising methods and may be unaware that GCHQ is recruiting for these kind of roles."
Potential codebreakers will have to pass through a strict vetting process, which would also root out those who had previously hacked illegally.
GCHQ said the skills it looks for in an applicant could well be present in someone who takes the online challenge.
"Their skills may be ideally suited to our work," said the organisation. "And yet they may not understand how they could apply them to our working environment, particularly one where they have the opportunity to contribute so much."
GCHQ has a history of using unusual recruitment techniques. In 2009, the organisation launched a six-week campaign featuring banner ads and video clips on the Xbox LIVE network. The advertisements appeared during video games including Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed.