The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is facing a fresh and serious controversy after a 19-year-old cybersecurity researcher, Nisarga Adhikary, publicly alleged that he discovered multiple critical vulnerabilities in CBSE’s newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) portal. He claimed these flaws could allow unauthorised individuals to access examiner accounts, reset passwords, and even alter students’ marks. The claims were published in a detailed technical blog post and quickly spread across social media platform X, triggering widespread concern among students, parents, and education experts.
This controversy comes at a particularly sensitive time — CBSE was already under fire for blurred answer sheets, mismatched scan copies, and payment gateway failures following the Class 12 results declared in May 2026.
What Is the OSM System?
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Form | On-Screen Marking |
| Purpose | Digital evaluation of Class 12 answer sheets |
| Introduced | 2025-26 academic year |
| Status | Under security review and external audit |
What the Researcher Allegedly Found
- Unauthorised access to examiner login accounts was possible
- Ability to reset passwords of evaluators without authentication
- Potential to modify student marks in the portal
- Vulnerabilities reported through a responsible disclosure blog post
CBSE’s Official Response
- The board confirmed that around 50 students gained unauthorised access to the portal during the initial launch phase
- CBSE acknowledged the breach was due to a malicious attack
- The board has since conducted a full security audit and upgraded the portal
- Government sources confirmed the OSM system is likely to continue next year but with enhanced security protocols
What Students Should Know
- The Post-Result Activities portal is now live from June 1, 2026, after security upgrades
- Students who feel their marks are incorrect should apply for re-evaluation through cbse.gov.in
- CBSE has assured students that marks will be corrected where evaluations were wrong
- Parliamentary concern has been raised by CPI(M) MP John Brittas, who wrote to the Education Minister seeking a thorough review
The OSM controversy highlights the growing challenges of digital transformation in Indian education — while the intent to modernise evaluation is sound, security preparedness and transparency remain critical areas that need urgent attention.
