CBSE Addresses Cybersecurity Flaws in Class 12 Evaluation System

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has recently acknowledged the existence of cybersecurity vulnerabilities within its OnMark portal, the digital platform utilized for evaluating Class 12 board examination answer sheets this year. In a statement released on Sunday, the board confirmed that the issues identified have been addressed and assured that additional potential weaknesses are currently being examined.

This announcement comes in response to numerous complaints raised by students regarding discrepancies in the evaluation process. Over the past two weeks, many pupils noted that the scanned copies of their answer sheets uploaded by CBSE did not correspond with their handwriting, leading to concerns about possible mismatches in evaluations. Furthermore, students who sought re-evaluation reported facing various technical difficulties, including failures of the online portal, delays in payment confirmations, and in some cases, being prompted to pay higher fees due to glitches.

In a separate revelation, cybersecurity expert Nisarga Adhikary took to social media to highlight potential security flaws within the OnMark portal. He claimed that the portal’s link was publicly accessible and conducted an analysis that revealed vulnerabilities that could allow unauthorized access to examiner accounts. On May 22, Adhikary reported these issues to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and subsequently shared a detailed account of his findings online.

In light of these incidents, the CBSE has emphasized its commitment to monitoring any flagged vulnerabilities closely. The board aims to ensure that the integrity of the evaluation system is upheld and protects the interests of its students. As the situation unfolds, the board is expected to implement more stringent security measures to enhance the safety of its online systems and restore confidence among students and parents alike.

The incident highlights the increasing importance of cybersecurity in education, especially as more institutions transition to digital platforms for examination processes. As educational boards across India continue to adopt technology for assessments, ensuring robust security measures will be crucial in safeguarding student data and maintaining the credibility of examination results.

Source: scroll.in