PKR POLLS | PKR deputy president contender Rafizi Ramli has claimed that tablets used for voting for the Julau division have been compromised with “malicious spyware”.

“The tablets were hacked with malicious spyware which allow them to be controlled remotely.

“I have already complained to the central election committee and taken all the videos of it,” he told Malaysiakini from the voting centre.

He added that alleged the software installed into the tablets was called “Prey.”

On its website, Prey brands itself as anti-theft software that enables users to track their devices, but also “wipe data and folders remotely on a lost device.”

It further allows users to manage and perform tasks on “thousands of devices” simultaneously.

It is learnt that Julau MP Larry Sng, who is in the running for Julau PKR chief, will lodge a police report on the matter.

When contacted, Sarawak PKR election coordinator Desmond Kho said he had not received any reports on the matter.

Even if such software existed in the devices, he said, its effectiveness is questionable as the tablets are not connected to the internet.

“Our system should be free from that because we are not online.

“We do not use the internet, all the votes are saved onto our own server,” he said.

'No real issue'

Rafizi later disputed Kho’s account, claiming instead that he had personally discovered the tablets had been “somehow automatically turned online” at about 1pm today.

He also claimed to have witnessed someone “meddling” with the tablets midway through the election, but declined to name the person.

Kho said that several tablets at the Julau voting centre had been faulty earlier today, but this had not severely impacted voting.

“But there was no real issue because the turnout was lower than expected,” he said.

As of 2pm today, Kho said only about 800 people had voted in Julau and speculated that this was due to rainfall.

Later, the JPP later confirmed what it called a "cyber attack" on the tablets and that announced that it would suspend results from the Julau division pending an investigation into the matter.

Julau has been under the spotlight for its drastic spike in membership on June 26, which saw its members increase from 603 to 13,549 in just one day.

Complaints of irregularities, including the registration of members of other political parties without their knowledge and using dubious addresses, have since surfaced and are being probed by the MACC.

However, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution has since cleared the division of any suspicion and contended that the membership registration process was above board.

Malaysiakini is contacting the PKR election committee and Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian for comment.