Unnes Cuts Communication Networks to Prevent UTBK Cheating
Universitas Negeri Semarang, or Unnes, has opted to sever communication networks in the vicinity of exam locations to prevent cheating practices during this year’s Computer-Based Written Examination (UTBK). Unnes is one of the campuses designated as a central venue for the 2026 UTBK implementation.
Unnes’s Head of Public Relations, Surahmat, stated that the network disruption aims to block communication between exam participants and external parties intending to cheat. This is achieved using internet signal jammers.
“We are striving to minimise cheating practices as much as possible, as we are collaborating with government supervision,” he said in a written statement, quoted on Sunday, 26 April 2026.
Additionally, he noted that cheating prevention during UTBK involves layered oversight. Surahmat affirmed that participants are ensured not to bring any aids into the exam room.
“We use metal detectors to ensure no suspicious devices are brought by participants,” he said.
Unnes, he added, also enforces tolerance for late arrivals as per the central committee’s rules. He stated that UTBK participants are strictly prohibited from joining the exam once the simultaneous testing has begun.
“If participants arrive after the exam has started, they are not permitted to take it and are automatically disqualified,” he remarked.
At another venue, such as Universitas Gadjah Mada, a special Linux-based operating system is applied to prevent cheating during the 2026 UTBK. UGM’s Director of Information Technology Directorate, Ridi Ferdiana, explained that the system runs via USB media, effectively blocking remote software often used for cheating.
He stated that the special operating system is designed in a controlled environment with integrated applications. Ridi assured that this implementation would not disrupt the exam process.
“This closed system environment helps keep the exam process focused and secure from external interference,” he said in his statement on Tuesday, 21 April 2026.
UGM operates four server units to support this year’s UTBK. Ridi mentioned that all servers have undergone load testing and national trials.
UGM also implements a failover mechanism in the system, including monitoring to ensure services run normally even if one server fails. “If there’s an issue with one server, the system automatically switches to another so participants can continue the exam,” he said.
In the 2026 UTBK implementation so far, the committee has uncovered several cheating methods employed by participants. For instance, proxy practices were found at various UTBK test points, such as at Universitas Sulawesi Barat.
Besides proxying, the 2026 SNPMB committee discovered participants carrying aids. One case involved the use of a hearing aid found on a UTBK participant at the Universitas Diponegoro test site.
Chairman of the 2026 National Student Admission Selection Responsible Team, Eduart Wolok, explained that the hearing aid was installed in the participant’s ear canal for cheating. “By the committee, this participant had to be taken to an ENT doctor to remove the device,” he said.