☕ Hackers leak Year 12 exams in Victoria

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Hackers have breached the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) website, claiming to have downloaded and sold VCE exam papers to hundreds of students.

The VCAA has rejected the claims, with CEO Andrew Smith saying there is “no evidence” that any exam papers have been leaked.

The website remains offline as the authority investigates the breach.

Victorian Year 12 students are in the final week of their VCE exams.

At about 6pm on Wednesday, a hacker using the alias “DaggerElite” took over the VCAA website.

The hacker posted a message mocking the authority’s security, thanking the VCAA for its “dogshit security standards”.

They claimed to have accessed the internal file servers of an external printing provider used by the VCAA and downloaded copies of the 2026 VCE exams.

DaggerElite claimed to have sold the papers to “hundreds of students statewide”, distributing them through an email address belonging to law firm Go Ahead Lawyers.

The law firm has denied any involvement, saying it found no evidence of unauthorised access to its email systems.

The hacker warned students against sharing the papers, claiming each copy contained an “identifiable signature” that could be used to trace recipients. They also suggested they could sell 2027 exam papers well before next year’s exam period.

Education Minister Gabrielle Williams disputed DaggerElite’s claims, saying there was no indication VCE exams had been accessed.

VCAA CEO Andrew Smith also told ABC Radio Melbourne there was “no evidence that these exams have been leaked”.

“The claims that they were downloaded from our secure printers don’t stand up at this stage,” he said.

“I’m sorry for the distraction caused to students sitting exams.”

Williams said the VCAA had referred the incident to Victoria Police for investigation.

She also confirmed VCE exams would “continue as normal”, with the final exams scheduled for 18 November.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

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Thousands of schools in Italy, Ireland and the UK received emailed bomb threats on Wednesday, forcing some to evacuate students from campus.

It follows a similar email sent to schools last month, and a wave of fake threats against flights last week.

The recent incidents are part of a wider run of disruption across Europe, targeting airlines, newsrooms, supermarkets and blood banks.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said there was no immediate danger, and that “whoever did this wanted a nation that was paralyzed and afraid.”

In January 2025, more than 260 schools in Hungary received emailed threats.

The latest run began on 19 October of this year, when Northern Ireland police said more than 300 schools received an identical message. Schools in Scotland, Hungary and Serbia were also targeted.

In Hungary, emails to local media claimed bombs had been planted at more than 70 schools. The country’s Interior Minister said the threats “proved to be unfounded”.

On Wednesday, there was another series of emails across Europe and the UK.

Italy’s Education Ministry said an email to more than 6,300 schools threatened a “genocide” of Italians, and said there was a bomb on campus.

Police said hundreds of schools were evacuated, and parents rushed to collect their kids.

Schools in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the Republic of Ireland got similar messages.

In recent weeks, fake threats have targeted passenger flights.

Across 2, 3 and 5 November, more than 30 flights were affected by bomb threats. Some were diverted, searched or escorted by fighter jets. Nothing dangerous was found on any plane.

In Sydney, armed AFP officers met a flight from Tokyo after a threat was sent to the airport, according to the ABC.

Last week, newsrooms in Ireland and Bulgaria received emailed bomb threats.

Ireland’s public broadcaster RTÉ evacuated one of its offices.

There have also been cyberattacks on supermarkets.

In mid-October, hackers pushed fridge temperatures up to 50°C at hundreds of French supermarkets, sparking fires and spoiling food.

Three French blood banks were also targeted in November, but officials said no blood products were damaged.

No government has formally blamed anyone for the bomb threats, and the emails have carried different names.

The October school emails were signed “Allahu Akbar,” an Arabic phrase meaning “God is great,” according to Northern Ireland’s Education Minister.

The latest Italian school emails were signed “Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan”.

Investigations are ongoing.

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

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The Ice Ultra takes place in eastern Antarctica and includes 50k, 50 mile, 100k and 100 mile races. Case finished the race in 17 hours, 31 minutes and 39 seconds, facing temperatures as low as minus 35 degrees. The Canadian ultrarunner told The Athletic that her achievement “feels unreal,” adding that she hopes it proves to other people “that motherhood isn’t the finish line”.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

The status of the Finnish Embassy in Canberra has become the internet’s latest obsession.

Last week, a post from the embassy inviting single people to enter a contest for a trip to Finland to find love gained quite a bit of traction. It was its next post after the viral hit that went supernova, however. For whatever inscrutable internet reason, people went crazy over the fact that the embassy was going to be closed for one day.

We can confirm the Finnish Embassy is open today.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.