Student hackers take on 'ethical battle' beyond cyber attacks and exploits Thu 21 May 2026 at 7:01am In short: Student hackers from around the world have competed in a series of challenges for cybersecurity's "World Cup". The competition pits country against country with simulated attacks similar to real-world threats. What's next? The event is designed to prepare the next generation of "ethical hackers" for an industry full of rapidly evolving threats. When more than 100 hackers meet in a room, it might be a good idea to update your password. But these cybersecurity sleuths have gathered for a good cause. "The term used in the industry is ethical hacking, which to a lot a of people sounds like an oxymoron," software developer Rohan van Klinken said. "But it's basically the best way to secure a system, is to have someone hack it for real and point out all the holes." Mr van Klinken represents Team Oceania in the 2026 International Cybersecurity Challenge — the "World Cup of Cybersecurity". It pits the best student teams from Asia, Europe, Africa, North and South America, and Australia, against each other over two days on the Gold Coast. "It's a completely different mental state, completely locked-in on the problem in front of you, and sometimes you can spend four hours on the same challenge," Mr van Klinken said. But as cybersecurity threats become faster and more complex, these simulated challenges have real-world implications. Pay to get hacked In the "attack and defence" challenge, teams are given the same programs with intentional bugs placed in them. They must identify and fix those bugs, before exploiting them to attack other teams. "If you're working on criminal psychology, you need to know how a criminal thinks so you can help police catch criminals," Avery Armstrong from Team