CBSE Admits Vulnerabilities in Evaluation System After Teen Hacker's Findings

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has acknowledged weaknesses in its OnMark portal, utilised for the evaluation of Class 12 board examination answer sheets. This admission follows revelations made by a young cybersecurity researcher, Nisarga Adhikary, who reported several vulnerabilities in the online marking system.

The CBSE's statement confirmed that the vulnerabilities identified have been contained, and efforts are underway to mitigate further risks. Discrepancies had arisen recently, with students highlighting that the scanned versions of their answer sheets did not match their handwriting. This led to concerns over the accuracy of the marking process, prompting many to seek re-evaluation.

In addition, students faced issues including portal failures, delays in payment confirmations, and being charged excess fees, attributed to technical glitches within the CBSE system. Adhikary, who disclosed the vulnerabilities on social media, claimed that the OnMark portal's link was publicly accessible. He suggested that a detailed examination of the portal's code revealed exploitable weaknesses that could potentially compromise examiner accounts.

The CBSE responded by emphasising its commitment to security, noting that an expert team of cybersecurity professionals had been assembled to fortify the system. The board expressed gratitude towards those who highlighted these vulnerabilities and stated that they have directly contacted some of these individuals for further collaboration.

Initially, the CBSE attempted to reassure the public that their IT infrastructure is secure and robust, asserting that no vulnerabilities were present in the actual evaluation system. This assertion was made contradicted by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who acknowledged the discrepancies within the On-Screen Marking system and accepted accountability for the current issues.

Congress party leaders have voiced alarm over the situation, claiming that the answer sheets of approximately 20 lakh Class 12 students were inadvertently made available to the public, which they labelled as a significant data breach. In a social media post, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh highlighted flaws in the quality of the scans used in the evaluation process, including evidence of paper folding and shadows. Rahul Gandhi, another prominent Congress leader, interacted with concerned students who faced negative reactions for voicing their issues, stating they were wrongly labelled as 'Pakistanis' and 'deep state agents'.

As the situation unfolds, the CBSE's measures to address the vulnerabilities and restore trust in its evaluation system remain a significant focus for both educators and students across the nation.