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Last updated: Jul 08, 2023 at 12:44 PM IST
The letter says most testing agencies have shifted from pen-and-paper to computer-based tests but scams and leaks are still being reported. (clash)
The DoPT secretary wrote that any loophole in government recruitment examinations is a threat to the credibility of the selection process and this is an important area that needs due attention.
Amidst a wave of government recruitment scams and paper leaks being reported from across the country, the center asked all its ministries to take urgent measures to make the examination system “leak-proof” and also highlighted five loopholes that lead to frequent fraud.
Says a letter written by Radha Chauhan, Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for all ministries. News18 has a copy of the letter mentioned.
Most examination-taking agencies have shifted from paper-and-pen to computer-based tests, the letter says, but scams and leaks are still being reported with some gaining remote access to the computers on which tests are being taken. The letter stated that “old and pirated versions of operating systems in computers in testing centers endanger the security system.”
The DoPT secretary further said that the lack of a licensed anti-virus in computer systems used in examination centers makes it vulnerable to customized remote access software. The letter states that “testing software used without a prior security assessment from any CERT-In affiliate and the absence of remote access detection and Internet access detection weakens censorship.”
As the fifth gap, the secretary warned that “the lack of network partitioning” makes it easy for a remote analyst to access the system from the outside. The secretary wrote: “Please be sure to take timely measures to address these loopholes so as to make the inspection system leak-proof.”
root cause
The DoPT Secretary wrote that any loophole in government recruitment examinations is a threat to the credibility of the selection process and this is an important area that needs due attention to ensure the integrity of the examination processes.
“Examination conducting agencies (ECAs) outsource the processes associated with conducting examination to various technology companies. Some ECAs trust the entire examination system to offshore companies on a turnkey basis,” the minister wrote.
He said that it has been observed that these companies sometimes outsource various testing activities to some other local companies. All this contributes to scams and leakages.
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