Spy Kids: NSA 'CryptoKids' Coloring Pages Woo Future Codebrakers

The US National Security Agency (NSA) is enticing children with a set of coloring pages on its website devoted to grooming a future generation of intelligence agents, local media reports.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — As first reported by the online technology portal PandoDaily on Saturday, the NSA's "CryptoKids Fun Book" features black-and-white images of anthropomorphic animal characters who "work" as computer scientists, language analysts and code breakers.

"One of my duties at NSA/CSS [Central Security Service] is to visit local schools and teach Cryptology classes to interested students," character Sergeant Sam, a bald eagle in military fatigues, says in his biography.

Cryptokids

© Photo : Twitter/Stephan Okhuijsen

Other characters, including Crypto Cat the cryptographer and Decipher Dog the cryptoanalyst, intertwine popular hobbies with their interest in codemaking and codebreaking.

Coloring book the NSA gave me a few years ago. #ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/TMqdjmhCKN

— Chip FoxWA (@chipfoxx) 6 Март 2014

"Together, NSA and CSS provide the technology (INFORMATION ASSURANCE) and the information (SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE) our Nation's leaders and warfighters need to get their jobs done," the CryptoKids website states.

It underscores the importance of these intelligence skills in helping security officials communicate "without the bad guys listening," as well as "to figure out what the bad guys were planning."

The intelligence agency website's has had a dedicated children's section since 2010, offering a range of activities from creating codes and ciphers to career options with the NSA.

The agency is best known for its widespread surveillance of civilian, government and corporate communications worldwide after former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked internal documents in July 2013.