Exam analysis system shut down
PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry has temporarily shut down a school examination analysis system, Sistem Analisis Peperiksaan Sekolah (SAPS), to investigate a security claim, said its minister Dr Maszlee Malik yesterday.
He said SAPS was suspended due to security concerns about an alleged attack on the system.
“On behalf of the ministry, I apologise for any alarm caused, but I am looking into the issue.”
He said the ministry was analysing the claim, which was sent to them on Saturday.
“As a precautionary measure, I have instructed the ministry to temporarily shut down the system.
“We are conducting a security analysis to identify weaknesses in the system and will take action once a solution is in place.”
In the long term, Maszlee said, the ministry would update project and risk management processes for all its projects, as issues like this should not recur.
“Everything else, including the Education Ministry’s websites and applications, will run as usual. I appreciate everyone’s concern about the issue.”
He said he believed that public views were crucial in matters relating to the ministry.
According to media reports, an anonymous email had been circulated claiming that SAPS — introduced in July 2011 to centralise examination results from all states — was vulnerable to an attack called “SQL Injection”.
It alleged that the details of 4.9 million students, along with their parents’ MyKad numbers, could be compromised.
SAPS aims to measure students’ academic performance and enable better administration. Teachers are required to key in examination results into its database, allowing parents to have real-time access to their children’s academic results.