{"id":1310549,"date":"2026-06-13T09:40:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T04:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/?p=1310549"},"modified":"2026-06-13T09:40:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T04:10:25","slug":"iit-kanpur-hires-19-yr-old-boy-who-exposed-cbses-online-portal-vulnerabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/iit-kanpur-hires-19-yr-old-boy-who-exposed-cbses-online-portal-vulnerabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"IIT Kanpur Hires 19-Yr Old Boy Who Exposed CBSE&#8217;s Online Portal Vulnerabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>In a remarkable example of talent being recognized beyond traditional academic pathways, IIT Kanpur has recruited 19-year-old cybersecurity researcher Nisarg Adhikary, who recently gained national attention for highlighting vulnerabilities in the Central Board of Secondary Education\u2019s (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. The move underscores the increasing value that leading institutions place on practical cybersecurity skills and responsible vulnerability disclosure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"561\" src=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-13-at-9.37.07-AM-1024x561.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1310557\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-13-at-9.37.07-AM-1024x561.png 1024w, https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-13-at-9.37.07-AM-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-13-at-9.37.07-AM-768x421.png 768w, https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-13-at-9.37.07-AM-1536x841.png 1536w, https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-13-at-9.37.07-AM-2048x1122.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Adhikary, who recently completed his Class 12 education, found himself at the center of a national debate after publishing detailed findings about alleged security weaknesses in CBSE\u2019s digital evaluation infrastructure. He claimed that flaws within the OSM system could potentially be exploited to manipulate examination-related data, sparking widespread discussions about the security of educational technology platforms. While CBSE disputed claims that its systems had been compromised, the disclosures triggered audits and further investigations into the platform\u2019s security architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His work quickly caught the attention of cybersecurity experts and academic leaders. According to reports, IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agrawal reviewed Adhikary\u2019s technical analysis and recognized the depth of his cybersecurity knowledge. The institute subsequently offered him a position within its cybersecurity ecosystem, making him one of the youngest engineers associated with the institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Adhikary has joined IIT Kanpur\u2019s renowned C3iHub, a technology innovation and cybersecurity center that works on cyber defence, threat intelligence, and digital security initiatives. He will serve as an Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and Threat Intelligence Engineer, contributing to projects focused on strengthening cybersecurity capabilities and identifying emerging digital threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The story has resonated strongly across India\u2019s technology and education sectors because it highlights a shift in how talent is being evaluated. Rather than focusing solely on degrees and formal qualifications, organizations are increasingly recognizing demonstrable skills, real-world problem-solving abilities, and contributions to cybersecurity research. Adhikary\u2019s journey from a school student investigating digital vulnerabilities to securing a role at one of India\u2019s premier institutions serves as an inspiration for aspiring technologists and ethical hackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As India accelerates its digital transformation, the demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to grow. The recruitment of young researchers like Adhikary demonstrates that expertise, curiosity, and responsible innovation can open doors to opportunities traditionally reserved for experienced professionals. It also sends a strong message about the importance of strengthening cybersecurity across critical public digital systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jansatta.com\/education\/nisharg-adhikari-appointed-at-iit-kanpur-c3ihub-lands-major-opportunity-following-cbse-osm-controversy\/4574639\/\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a remarkable example of talent being recognized beyond traditional academic pathways, IIT Kanpur has recruited 19-year-old cybersecurity researcher Nisarg Adhikary, who recently gained national attention for highlighting vulnerabilities in the Central Board of Secondary Education\u2019s (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. The move underscores the increasing value that leading institutions place on practical cybersecurity skills [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":1310557,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[4752,10027],"class_list":["post-1310549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-cbse","tag-nisarg-adhikary"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>IIT Kanpur Hires 19-Yr Old Boy Who Exposed CBSE&#039;s Online Portal Vulnerabilities - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile &amp; Startups<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/iit-kanpur-hires-19-yr-old-boy-who-exposed-cbses-online-portal-vulnerabilities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"IIT Kanpur Hires 19-Yr Old Boy Who Exposed CBSE&#039;s Online Portal Vulnerabilities - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile &amp; Startups\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a remarkable example of talent being recognized beyond traditional academic pathways, IIT Kanpur has recruited 19-year-old cybersecurity researcher Nisarg Adhikary, who recently gained national attention for highlighting vulnerabilities in the Central Board of Secondary Education\u2019s (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. The move underscores the increasing value that leading institutions place on practical cybersecurity skills [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/iit-kanpur-hires-19-yr-old-boy-who-exposed-cbses-online-portal-vulnerabilities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile &amp; Startups\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-13T04:10:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-13T04:10:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-13-at-9.37.07-AM-1024x561.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"561\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mohul Ghosh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mohul Ghosh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/iit-kanpur-hires-19-yr-old-boy-who-exposed-cbses-online-portal-vulnerabilities\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/iit-kanpur-hires-19-yr-old-boy-who-exposed-cbses-online-portal-vulnerabilities\/\",\"name\":\"IIT Kanpur Hires 19-Yr Old Boy Who Exposed CBSE's Online Portal Vulnerabilities - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile &amp; 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