German Intelligence Agency BND Launches NFTs Collection To Attract Cyber Experts

The German Intelligence Agency, BND, has embarked on an unusual recruitment drive as the agency launched a new NFT collection dubbed Dogs of BND, aimed to attract cybersecurity experts. Through the NFT initiative, BND hopes to attract individuals adept in blockchain and web3 technology to help combat cybercrime. 

The collection comprises 999 generative avatar images of dogs with varying characteristics inspired by BND’s Pullach branch service dogs, Inka and Alex.  However, only 987 are available for minting by participants.

Finding Proficient Talents In Cyber Security Using Web3 Technology

The intelligence agency gamified the campaign and locked access to the NFT collection behind a cyber-treasure hunt. Although the collection is being minted on Ethereum, those willing to access it must participate in the cryptographic cyber treasure hunt. 

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The treasure hunt is designed to stimulate crucial problem-solving skills in the cybersecurity field. Eligible participants in the cyber treasure hunt are German citizens above 13 years old. The collection’s avatar characters comprise many standard PFP traits, such as background colors, outfits, eyewear, headgear, and hairstyles, and the BND intends to find the right talents using the PFPs.

Through this unconventional recruitment approach, the agency would identify skilled and talented individuals proficient in deciphering cryptographic messages. Participants must strive to discover a concealed string of characters, including addresses, transaction hash, block, or token number, set as clues by the agency.

The cyber hunt ends when individuals discover the correct data, granting them access to mint the NFT collection. So far, only about 200 participants have successfully retrieved a token. The hunt continues until the participants mint all 987 available tokens.

Each NFT had an initial symbolic floor price of 0.000001 ETH and will be available until players mint all 987, according to the BND. However, the collection which is built on Ethereum using the ERC-1155 token standard has seen its floor price increase to 0.05 ETH. 

Catching Up With the Dynamic Digital Landscape

According to a report by the German news outlet BTC Echo, the BND said NFTs are an “obvious” choice to scout cybersecurity talents in the web3 ecosystem and can serve as collectibles for community members. BND’s move to expand its talent reach goes beyond the NFT approach. The agency uses social media platforms to interact with followers and engage prospective recruits.

BTC Echo noted that this move represents BND’s commitment to moving with the evolving digital landscape and cybersecurity necessities. The intelligence agency also told the news outlet that an NFT collection was an “obvious new offering” for its Instagram community.

“The subject of blockchain technology, its associated cryptocurrency, and non-fungible tokens occupy the BND in various areas, the agency added.

Featured image from Pixabay and chart from TradinView.com