The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), India's government-run school exam board, has acknowledged cybersecurity weaknesses in its online grading portal, OnMark, adding to a tumultuous summer for the country's crucial entrance examinations. The admission came after a teenage ethical hacker disclosed critical vulnerabilities in the system, which could have allowed unauthorized access to examiners' accounts and potential mark tampering.
Cybersecurity vulnerabilities exposed
In a statement on X, the CBSE said it has been "closely monitoring" the vulnerabilities in the OnMark portal after Nisarga Adhikary, a teen cybersecurity researcher, reported five critical flaws to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team on 25 February. Adhikary claimed the portal could permit a full takeover of an examiner's account, potentially enabling mark manipulation. The board stated, "The identified vulnerabilities have been contained, and other exploitable weaknesses are being ruled out. We are grateful to all alert citizens and ethical hackers pointing out such weaknesses, and have gotten in touch with some of them directly."
Impact on students and exam results
The controversy erupted last month when thousands of students reported discrepancies in their school-leaving exam marks, allegedly linked to the OnMark portal. Introduced this year, the portal scans physical answer sheets and uploads them for online assessment. Around 1.8 million students took the exams in 2026, with results announced on 13 May. Students claimed that physical answer sheets they received differed from digital copies provided for re-evaluation. Over 400,000 students applied for scanned copies, while nearly 1.1 million requested access to physical scripts.
Political fallout and calls for resignation
Federal Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan faces mounting criticism, with opposition leader Rahul Gandhi accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of presiding over a crisis of confidence in the education department. Gandhi has demanded Pradhan's resignation and called for a court-led inquiry into the contract awarded to the external agency operating the grading portal. Pradhan, however, stated, "This was the first time CBSE used [the OSM process], and some discrepancies have come to light. I take responsibility for this and assure you that a solution will be found."
Medical entrance exam cancellation
Pradhan is also under fire after the cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical colleges due to an alleged question paper leak, affecting 2.3 million aspiring doctors. He announced a rerun scheduled for 21 June, with enhanced security measures including the use of Indian Air Force aircraft to transport question papers. "The postal department usually uses normal transportation routes. This time, considering security concerns, we requested the Indian Air Force to assist in secure transportation," he told NDTV.
The ongoing controversies have intensified demands for accountability, with the education sector facing one of its most challenging periods in recent years.
