(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/121018-xbox-spies-forerunners-8a.photoblog600.jpg)SSPL via Getty Images, fileThe registration room at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire in 1943. Bletchley Park was the British forces' intelligence center during WWII, where cryptographers deciphered top-secret military communiques between Hitler and his armed forces. These communiques were encrypted in the 'enigma' code which the Germans considered unbreakable, but the codebreakers at Bletchley cracked the code with the help of 'Bombe' machines, and so aided the Allies' victory.By Peter Jeary, NBC News
In the 50 years since the first James Bond movie (http://www.itv.com/news/2012-10-17/james-bond-50-years-on-and-time-for-another-oscar/) created a lasting impression of a British secret agent, a completely different character is about to emerge.
Britain's intelligence agencies are to recruit their next generation of cyber spies by harnessing the talents of the "Xbox generation."
In an expansion of a pilot program, Foreign Secretary William Hague announced Thursday that up to 100 18-year-olds will be given the chance to train for a career in Britain’s secret services.
Most of the recruitment is aimed at producing staff for the GCHQ (http://www.gchq.gov.uk/Pages/homepage.aspx), the electronic communications agency and monitoring station at the heart of Britain’s cyber defenses. However, some recruits will go on to work in the other two intelligence agencies – MI5 and MI6.
NBCNews