19-Year Old Hacks CBSE Website, 2nd Time; CBSE Still Clueless, In Denail Mode

A 19-year-old ethical hacker, Nisarga Adhikary, claimed to have accessed a CBSE-linked portal and demonstrated security flaws by displaying the viral 'Bad Apple' animation on a dashboard page. Adhikary, a Class 12 student from West Bengal, alleged he previously reported vulnerabilities to authorities, including risks of unauthorized access to examiner accounts and potential mark tampering. CBSE denied a breach, stating the portal was a testing platform with sample data, not the live OSM evaluation system. The board insisted no student marks or answer sheets were exposed, claiming the production-level OSM system remains secure. Adhikary, however, disputed this, arguing the vulnerabilities were serious and required urgent attention. The incident follows ongoing criticism of CBSE’s OSM system, which has faced issues like answer-sheet mix-ups, technical glitches, and scanning problems. Reports indicate 20 mix-up cases and over 13,000 answer sheets needing manual review due to scanning failures. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has acknowledged discrepancies and promised corrective action. The controversy has sparked broader debates on cybersecurity and digital governance, particularly as India scales up digitization of critical public systems. Opposition leaders have questioned the OSM project’s implementation and procurement process, while experts warn that security audits are essential when handling millions of student records. The hacking demonstration went viral, intensifying public scrutiny of CBSE’s digital infrastructure amid concerns about transparency and system reliability. The episode underscores the challenges of balancing digital efficiency with robust cybersecurity in India’s education sector.