Exam chaos after hackers attack site

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Exam chaos after hackers attack site
THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS MISS TESTS
Published: 11/10/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

Computer hackers have attacked the website of the National Institute of Educational Testing Service (Niets), prompting about 40 per cent of students applying to sit in the General Aptitude Test (GAT) and the Professional Aptitude Test (PAT) at test centres to miss the exams yesterday.

The third round of GAT and PAT tests ran from Thursday to today at 314 test centres nationwide, including at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University.

Deputy Education Minister Chaiwuti Bannawat admitted yesterday that the GAT and PAT had been targetted by hackers.

They have written a computer programme to manipulate the website of Niets, an agency responsible for organising the GAT and PAT, blocking students from accessing the website for three days. Many students have not been able to check the time and place of their tests since Wednesday.

Niets closed down its website, http://www.niets.or.th, to fix the hacking problem for three days. Its operation resumed only yesterday.

It was the first time that university admission tests have been troubled by hackers.

"We never thought this could happen," said Mr Chaiwuti.

He said hackers in the past have derailed university admission tests in Russia and South Korea, but this kind of incident has never happened in Thailand before. In the case of South Korea, authorities had to cancel the test.

However, Mr Chaiwuti said Niets did not have to cancel the ongoing GAT and PAT because the hackers could not steal or damage information stored in the agency's data system, they only blocked students' access to the website.

He said the incident was a lesson for authorities that they need to be prepared for future technical problems and hacks.

Niets should have a back-up website or a back-up system in which students may telephone to ask for their test information, he added.

There were 400,000 students registering for the tests yesterday. At Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University alone, 1,994 students sat tests but another 1,300 students, or 40%, did not show up.
Niets is checking on the amount of students missing this round of GAT and PAT at other places.

During the second round of GAT and PAT, only about 20% of students missed their tests.

Officials have asked about 10 students at the university test centre about their friends who missed the tests. Most of them said friends missed the tests as they could not access the information on the time and places of their tests, according to Mr Chaiwuti.

If the website attack caused students to miss their tests, Niets might have to consider organising make-up tests, the deputy minister said.

Niets director Uthumporn Jamornmarn confirmed that the agency will arrange make-up tests for students who missed the tests.

The agency has filed a complaint with police, asking investigators to search for the hackers and take action against them, said Mrs Uthumporn.

Niets has also sought help from the Information and Communication Technology Ministry as well as private detectives in its attempt to find the hackers.

If arrested the hackers will be obliged to pay compensation for Niets' expenses related to the organisation of make-up tests for affected students as well.

[lahansai]

at least they got some excuse to tell parents....