

__

UPDATE: Code cracked! See above (or in the comments). __

The U.S. military's new Cyber Command is headquartered at Ft. Meade, Maryland, one of the military's most secretive and secure facilities. Its mission is largely opaque, even inside the armed forces. But the there's another mystery surrounding the emerging unit. It's embedded in the Cyber Command logo.

On the logo's inner gold ring is a code: 9ec4c12949a4f31474f299058ce2b22a

"It is not just random numbers and does 'decode' to something specific," a Cyber Command source tells Danger Room. "I believe it is specifically detailed in the official heraldry for the unit symbol."

"While there a few different proposals during the design phase, in the end the choice was obvious and something necessary for every military unit," the source adds. "The mission."

With that hint in hand, go crack this code open. E-mail us your best guess, or leave it in the comments below. Our Cyber Command source will confirm the right answer. And the first person to get it gets his/her choice of a Danger Room T-shirt or a ticket to the International Spy Museum.

See Also: