Why Did CBSE Seek An IIT-Led Security Review?
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has received a major boost to its ongoing re-evaluation process after an IIT led cybersecurity panel granted security clearance to its examiner-facing evaluation portal.
The clearance comes at a critical time as the board continues to process thousands of student requests for verification and re-evaluation of answer sheets following the declaration of Class 12 board examination results.
CBSE sought assistance from cybersecurity experts at IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras after concerns emerged regarding the security of the online evaluation platform and reports surfaced about attempted cyberattacks targeting the system.
According to officials associated with the review process, the IIT panel conducted an extensive assessment of the portal’s architecture, security controls, and data protection mechanisms before approving its use for the ongoing re-evaluation exercise.
What Security Concerns Were Identified?
The review was initiated after cybersecurity experts identified multiple vulnerabilities in the earlier platform used during the evaluation process.
An IIT panel member stated that the previously used portal contained several security weaknesses that could potentially have allowed unauthorized access to sensitive examination records and student data.
The concerns became more serious after reports of attempted cyberattacks emerged during the re-evaluation window.
As a result, CBSE decided not to use services from Coempt Eduteck Pvt Ltd for scanning answer sheets during the ongoing re-evaluation process and instead opted to strengthen its systems with support from cybersecurity specialists.
Officials indicated that the review focused on ensuring secure storage, transmission, and handling of examination-related information.
How Was The Cyberattack Handled?
The urgency of the security review increased after CBSE disclosed that its re-evaluation platform had faced a significant cyberattack on June 3.
According to the board, the platform was targeted through a large-scale Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack involving nearly 3.8 million malicious packets.
The apparent objective of the attack was to disrupt verification and re-evaluation services being offered to students through the post result portal.
However, CBSE said the attack was successfully mitigated and that answer book access, verification services, and re-evaluation facilities remained operational throughout the incident.
The board maintained that no disruption occurred in the processing of student applications despite the attempted intrusion.
What Changes Have Been Made To The Portal?
Following the security review, several enhancements have reportedly been incorporated into the revised portal.
According to members of the IIT panel, the updated system retains the core functionality of the earlier platform while introducing stronger safeguards designed to address previously identified vulnerabilities.
The revised platform includes additional layers of protection aimed at preventing unauthorized access, improving monitoring capabilities, and strengthening overall cybersecurity resilience.
Officials also confirmed that all answer-sheet data and examination records have now been transferred to CBSE controlled servers, giving the board greater oversight of data security and operational management.
The migration is expected to reduce risks associated with third-party data handling while enhancing accountability and system reliability.
How Many Re-Evaluation Requests Has CBSE Received?
The re-evaluation process continues to witness significant participation from students across the country.
As of June 4, CBSE had received 70,433 applications through its post-result grievance redressal mechanism.
These included 7,314 requests for verification of marks and 63,119 applications seeking re-evaluation of answer sheets.
Officials said IIT Kanpur’s cybersecurity team worked for more than ten days on securing both the CBSE registration portal and the Online Scoring Mechanism (OSM) re-evaluation portal before granting clearance.
With the security audit completed and additional safeguards implemented, CBSE aims to ensure a transparent, secure, and uninterrupted re-evaluation process for students while strengthening confidence in its digital examination infrastructure.
