Our Bureau
New Delhi
The Central Board of Secondary Education has admitted vulnerabilities in its digital examination system after a 19-year-old ethical hacker flagged alleged exposure of Class 12 answer sheets and question papers. The board confirmed the issue has been contained following warnings from cybersecurity researcher Nisarga Adhikary.
Adhikary discovered critical security flaws in CBSE’s On-Screen Marking portal used for evaluating Class 12 board exams. He reported an improperly configured Amazon Web Services storage bucket that allowed public access. The vulnerability allegedly exposed scanned copies of answer booklets from the 2026 examinations.
Adhikary warned that combining these flaws could let attackers take over examiner accounts, view assigned answer scripts, modify marks, and interfere with the evaluation process.
CBSE has assured stakeholders that exposed entry points have been sealed and the issue contained. This incident highlights growing concerns about digital security in India’s education system as boards increasingly rely on online evaluation systems for millions of students.
