DeGroote experience survey hacked

McMaster students are no stranger to surveys, with feedback requests and class evaluations constantly filling our email inboxes. The DeGroote Experience Survey was launched on the MSU website on Jan. 30 of this year for the purpose of observing student satisfaction with the DeGroote School of Business, and it has garnered some unwanted attention.

A few days after the survey’s release, it became clear to administrators of the MSU website that the survey had been hacked and a script set up to answer questions automatically.

The survey received 18,000 answers within the first three days, indicating malicious activity. Answers concerning the student-run DeGroote Commerce Society all appeared to have unusually high scores. The survey questions all showed an even distribution of answers from one to five. However, answers regarding the DCS all had scores of four or five.

The Commerce Caucus of the SRA originally launched the survey anonymously, though due to this issue it was decided that students should be required to sign in with their McMaster ID. Despite these efforts, on February 12 the survey again found 1,400 unusual responses in favour of the DCS that were the result of another malicious script.

The survey hack was traced back to McMaster and to an email and a specific person within the DCS.

“I felt that it was disappointing to see student leaders trying to thwart the issues of other students,” said Jeffrey Doucet, MSU Vice President of Finance.

On Feb. 17 the DCS issued a public apology on their website stating that a member of their organization was in fact responsible and was acting alone without their knowledge.

“This individual has agreed to cease all malicious activities against the MSU website and will abstain from any negative action towards the survey or the MSU website,” stated the post.

The President and CEO of the DCS, Conrad Thompson commented last week that “the matter is under investigation and the individual has been removed from their position.”

Scott Mallon, leader of the Commerce Caucus noted on the SRA website that one of the reasons the survey was created in the first place was because the caucus felt that the DCS was not governing themselves in “an open and transparent democratic fashion.” Mallon also expressed his disappointment and hope for better communication between the DCS and DeGroote School of Business in the future.

Mallon stated that the SRA thought it was best not to point out or shame the person responsible, as they took the opportunity to resign from their position after being found accountable for disrupting the survey.

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