Tamper-proofing necessary for all government systems, EAIC chief says

HULU LANGAT, May 24 — Government systems conventionally have backups to prevent or detect unauthorised access and prevent breakdowns, Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) chairman Datuk Yaacob Md Sam said today in response to claims of possible sabotage in the Malaysian Immigration System (myIMMs).

Yaacob added that these systems are also typically put through trial runs before they are implemented to ensure they are secure and tamper-proof.

He admitted to not being very familiar with the Immigration Department’s myIMMs but said even if there were sabotage as suggested by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi last night, security systems should be in place to hinder tampering even by agency staff.

"We believe that any system by agencies would have gone through a trial run to ensure that it has integrity. It is not supposed to break down so easily," he told reporters after a dialogue session between the commission and the peninsula's central zone enforcement agencies.

"Usually, most agencies would have a backup system in case there is a failure," he added.

Yaacob said he believes the Immigration Department will address the issue on their own as they would know the system best but also warned of the importance of doing this soon as the matter involved border security.

"With the current global issues, there would be people who would like to take advantage of this and enter the country. It could be people who are wanted by foreign authorities and looking to escape by coming here," he said.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also home minister, had last night said that the myIMMs system may have been sabotaged, and that names have been identified and will be announced by him and the police.

MyIMMs is the biometric system used to screen the the entry and exit of people to and from Malaysia.

The recently released Auditor-General Report 2015 Series 1 on May 18 had also stated that the myIMMs developed to support the main operation of Immigration Department was unsatisfactory and had instead caused the department’s objective to be affected.