Monday, October 12, 2009

ANOTHER CHANCE FOR VICTIMS OF TEST HACKERS

       Students who missed two national university-entrance tests as a result of hackers attacking the website of the National Institute of Educational Testing Service (NIETS) will be allowed to take both tests later this month, NIETS director Uthumphorn Jamornman said yesterday.
       Those able to print out test permits from the website before it was hacked last week can take both the General Aptitude Test (GAT) and the Professional Aptitude Test (PAT) exams at 2 pm today.
       Those who were unable to obtain the printouts can take the tests from October 29 to November 1, before overall results are announced by November 10.
       Information about 1,000 students was stolen last week by hackers in coordinated denial-of-service attacks against the NIETS website. The attacks, believed to have been the work of dissatisfied students, led to the NIETS website shutting down.
       High absentee rates at GAT |tests on Saturday were believed |to be a consequence of students |misunderstanding their inability to print out their information from |the NIETS website following the attacks. They saw this as meaning they were unable to take the exam.
       Uthumphorn said a new registration would be held from Thursday to October 22, for all students, and the names of those allowed to take the tests would be announced on October 26. She said the new registration would also benefit students who did not register in the first place, giving them a second chance. All students entitled to take second-round tests will not have to pay extra registration fees.
       The NIETS has sought technological assistance from the Information and Communications Technology Ministry to prevent or deter possible hacker attacks.
       The online intrusion had not reached essential information protected by firewalls in the NIETS website, she said, adding that she thought it had been done by some "wayward individuals similar to those who throw objects at passing vehicles".
       She said additional means of communication would be established next year as alternative channels in the case of possible malfunction or hacking of the website, like mirror websites or a call centre for emergency information.
       Uthumphorn was jointly inspecting an exam venue yesterday at Ratchavinij Bang Kaew School in Samut Prakan, where a PAT II exam was held.
       Suraphong Phongdej khajorn, an assistant to the education minister's secretary. said later that the PAT exam was held at 300 venues across the country and about 20 per cent of students missed the test.

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