MoE lodges police report over alleged student data leak

Student information, including names and identity card numbers in the school system were allegedly leaked and obtained by the public and unauthorised parties.

PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry today lodged a police report on the issue of information and data of students which were purportedly leaked recently.

The report was lodged by the ministry’s Day Schools Management Division Director, Abdullah Mad Yunus at the Putrajaya Police District Headquarters (IPD) at 6pm.

“The report seeks to prompt the police to investigate the leak further to determine if it was an inside job or due to other reasons which enabled the data to be obtained by outsiders,” he told reporters when met at the Putrajaya IPD.

Abdullah said the division received information on the leakage of student data on December 30, and a meeting held soon after decided that a police report be lodged.

Based on reports in the media, student information which resided in the school system, was said to have been leaked and obtained by the public and those who were unauthorised could also access the information, he said.

He said, to date, the Education Ministry had yet to obtain complete data on the number of students and schools affected by the information leakage or whether all the data was sold by certain quarters.

Asked whether the students’ information and data were leaked to private higher institutions of learning, he said: “Maybe.”

Abdullah said, to date, no parents had lodged an official report with the Education Ministry on the alleged leak and that the information obtained was only from media reports.

Putrajaya District Police Chief, ACP Rosly Hassan, when contacted confirmed receiving the report, adding that it would be investigated to determine if it took place because the system was hacked or the information was actually sold to outside parties.

The media recently reported that the personal particulars of about 300,000 post-Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) students, which are classified, were easily bought by private higher institutions of learning for marketing purposes.

Among the information obtained included the names of the students and their identity card numbers.

– BERNAMA