Fake Cheating Sites Are The Latest Risk For Remote Students - The Verge

Skip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.

The VergeThe Verge logo.
• Tech
• Reviews
• Science
• Entertainment
• AI
• Policy
• Hamburger Navigation Button

The homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.Hamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.

• Login / Sign Up

closeCloseSearch

• TechExpand
  • Amazon
  • Apple
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Microsoft
  • Samsung
  • Business
  • See all tech
• ReviewsExpand
  • Smart Home Reviews
  • Phone Reviews
  • Tablet Reviews
  • Headphone Reviews
  • See all reviews
• ScienceExpand
  • Space
  • Energy
  • Environment
  • Health
  • See all science
• EntertainmentExpand
  • TV Shows
  • Movies
  • Audio
  • See all entertainment
• AIExpand
  • OpenAI
  • Anthropic
  • See all AI
• PolicyExpand
  • Antitrust
  • Politics
  • Law
  • Security
  • See all policy
• GadgetsExpand
  • Laptops
  • Phones
  • TVs
  • Headphones
  • Speakers
  • Wearables
  • See all gadgets
• Verge ShoppingExpand
  • Buying Guides
  • Deals
  • Gift Guides
  • See all shopping
• GamingExpand
  • Xbox
  • PlayStation
  • Nintendo
  • See all gaming
• StreamingExpand
  • Disney
  • HBO
  • Netflix
  • YouTube
  • Creators
  • See all streaming
• TransportationExpand
  • Electric Cars
  • Autonomous Cars
  • Ride-sharing
  • Scooters
  • See all transportation
• Features
• Verge VideoExpand
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
• PodcastsExpand
  • Decoder
  • The Vergecast
  • Version History
• Newsletters
• Archives
• Store
• Verge Product Updates

Subscribe

• Facebook
• Threads
• Instagram
• Youtube
• RSS

The VergeThe Verge logo.Fake cheating sites are the latest risk for remote studentsComments DrawerCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...

• TechCloseTech

  Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

  FollowFollow

  See All Tech

• NewsCloseNews

  Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

  FollowFollow

  See All News

• PolicyClosePolicy

  Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

  FollowFollow

  See All Policy

Fake cheating sites are the latest risk for remote students

Online proctor services are tempting remote students with fake answer sites

Online proctor services are tempting remote students with fake answer sites

by Emma RothCloseEmma RothNews Writer

Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

FollowFollow

See All by Emma Roth

Feb 16, 2022, 6:42 PM UTC

• Link
• Share
• Gift

Photo by Oli Scarff / AFP via Getty ImagesEmma RothCloseEmma Roth

Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

FollowFollow

See All by Emma Roth

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

Remote testing service Honorlock is using fake answer sites to tempt and catch students who try to cheat on online exams, according to a report by The Markup. When a student visits one of these “honeypot” sites during an online test, the site automatically sends data back to the student’s remote testing software, indicating that the student is attempting to cheat.

Honorlock is used by over 300 educational institutions

As noted on Honorlock’s site, the service is used by over 300 educational institutions, including the University of Maryland, University of Florida, Arizona State University, and the University of Massachusetts Boston. At its core, Honorlock taps into students’ webcams during tests and uses AI to alert remote human proctors of any suspicious activity, such as if a student takes out their phone during an exam.

But, as The Markup notes, it also uses what it calls “seed sites” (PDF), where it hosts “seeded test questions to help detect use of secondary devices or other conduct prohibited by Testing Organizations.”

Screenshot: Exam Equip

Kurt Wilson, the student interviewed in The Markup’s report, compiled a list of honeypot site addresses used by Honorlock. There are currently five active domains: examequip.com, buzzfolder.com, gradepack.com, quizlookup.com, and wikicram.com. Each site is quite plain-looking, and all of them feature a homepage that contains a generic list of tips for students. Under their “Blog” tabs, you’ll find a collection of random test questions, with every question presenting two options: “Show Answer” and “Hide Answer.” Click either option, and you’ll hear a strange chime from your speakers — no answer is ever revealed or hidden.

Honorlock even has a patent for the technology behind its honeypot sites, which goes into more detail about what kind of information these sites collect. When a student accesses one of these sites, it sends their IP address, device information, mouse movement, clicks, and anything they type to Honorlock’s server. The Markup confirmed this when digging into the sites’ source code and network activity. Its honeypot sites also claim they can detect if a student is using a secondary phone, tablet, or another device to access answers by comparing IP addresses between devices.

Other test proctoring tools have been criticized as well, especially as schools and instructors struggled with implementing at-home testing-taking in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, one technology specialist at the University of British Columbia criticized his school’s use of exam proctoring service, Proctorio, and got sued by the company for exposing the ways it tracks students’ “abnormal” eye movement and records students’ rooms during exams. Another service, Examity, uses live human proctors to watch students take tests through Zoom.

While cheating is a problem, I don’t think this level of counterespionage surveillance tactics uses the best approach to prevent it. Remote testing services can already potentially compromise students’ privacy and may fuel unnecessary anxiety, as students worry as much about trying not to seem suspicious as getting the right answers.

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.

• Emma RothCloseEmma RothNews Writer

  Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

  FollowFollow

  See All by Emma Roth

• NewsCloseNews

  Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

  FollowFollow

  See All News

• PolicyClosePolicy

  Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

  FollowFollow

  See All Policy

• TechCloseTech

  Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

  FollowFollow

  See All Tech

• WebCloseWeb

  Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

  FollowFollow

  See All Web

Most Popular

Most Popular

1. Benjamin Netanyahu is struggling to prove he’s not an AI clone
2. Samsung discontinues its Galaxy Z TriFold after just three months
3. DLSS 5 looks like a real-time generative AI filter for video games
4. Microsoft appoints a new Copilot boss after AI leadership shake-up
5. I met Olaf — the Frozen robot who might be the future of Disney Parks

The Verge Daily

A free daily digest of the news that matters most.

Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser Content From

This is the title for the native ad

More in Tech

Ikea tried to build a smart home for everyone — here’s why it’s not working yetAntigravity’s 360-degree drone is 20 percent off ahead of its next feature dropNow everyone in the US is getting Google’s personalized Gemini AIIntel announces Core Ultra 200HX Plus CPUs for high-end gaming laptopsSeveral Sonos audio products got their first 2026 discountsMicrosoft appoints a new Copilot boss after AI leadership shake-upIkea tried to build a smart home for everyone — here’s why it’s not working yetJennifer Pattison TuohyMar 17Antigravity’s 360-degree drone is 20 percent off ahead of its next feature dropCameron FaulknerMar 17Now everyone in the US is getting Google’s personalized Gemini AIStevie BonifieldMar 17Intel announces Core Ultra 200HX Plus CPUs for high-end gaming laptopsAntonio G. Di BenedettoMar 17Several Sonos audio products got their first 2026 discountsCameron FaulknerMar 17Microsoft appoints a new Copilot boss after AI leadership shake-upTom WarrenMar 17Advertiser Content From

This is the title for the native ad

Top Stories

Mar 17I went to the Pentagon to watch Pete Hegseth scold war reportersMar 17Nvidia’s DLSS 5 is like motion smoothing for video games, but worseMar 17Ikea tried to build a smart home for everyone — here’s why it’s not working yetMar 16Benjamin Netanyahu is struggling to prove he’s not an AI cloneMar 17Microsoft appoints a new Copilot boss after AI leadership shake-upMar 17Samsung discontinues its Galaxy Z TriFold after just three months