Even if one believes the "easy" narrative about a malicious attack on the Topic Bank system, the questions about the Ministry of Education and the IEP remain relentless.
“Simply put, there were massive visits from third parties to the platform (up to 280,000 connections per second) which are intended to render it non-functional . These distributed DDoS attacks maliciously aim to prevent users from accessing the system smoothly .”
The above is the most characteristic excerpt from the joint statement issued on Monday by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Digital Governance to justify the chaotic situation caused after the collapse of the Subject Bank in the internal exams in the country's high schools on Monday.
A very "convenient" explanation, don't you think? We claim that the system was attacked by hackers, we throw in a number (which no one can check) and we create an "easy" narrative for the media and the unsuspecting.
But come on, this rather far-fetched excuse about... a malicious electronic attack creates more question marks for the platform in question than the answers it supposedly provides.
- Question 1: Was there a protection grid for such an eventuality? In other words, had the platform manufacturers prepared the system for such an attack? There are quite a few such protection systems on the market that have excellent performance and help to avoid mishaps. Can the Institute of Educational Policy, which is very vocal on other issues (see the “Boys in the Shower” case), really solve this question for us?
- Question 2: If there were indeed protection systems installed, why didn't they work? Was the cyberattack that the platform received so intense and large?
- Question 3: What was the Ministry of Education's Plan B for such an eventuality? Was there an alternative plan designed for the smooth continuation of the exam in case something went wrong with the platform? At first glance, it seems that there was no other plan as the exam was postponed to the next day. If the Ministry did indeed have a plan, it would be a good idea to inform the educational community about it.
The above important questions also take on additional weight if one considers that since Monday there has been reliable information from educational sources according to which the problem had already begun to be recorded since the weekend, but without the corresponding importance being given by those responsible.
The problematic functioning of the IEP in a number of issues irreparably exposes the leadership of the Ministry of Education. And of course when we refer to the leadership of the Ministry of Education we do not mean the current acting Minister Christos Kittas but Niki Kerameus and her team. After all, the president of the IEP, Yiannis Antoniou, is her own choice.
Speaking of the former Minister, here are the relevant answers she gave when asked about it on an Attica TV show on Monday night.
1st argument: You know, I'm no longer a minister! 2nd argument: But the Issues Bank has been working for the past three years. Irresistible argument….
Theories about cyberattacks are easily "consumed" in the media, especially among friends, but they are difficult to convince teachers and children. Especially children in the periphery who have to travel kilometers every morning to get to their school and take exams.
Source of information: news247.gr
