NEW DELHI: NTA on Tuesday scrambled to patch up vulnerabilities in its NEETUG portal which were highlighted by a teen “cyber security researcher”, who warned that the chink could potentially be exploited to hack sensitive information.
There was a weakness that had briefly affected the website but it has since been fixed, NTA sources told TOI on a day a barrage of cyber attacks was unleashed on CBSE’s website.
Rylen Anil, identifying himself as a 16 year-old “cyber security researcher”, sounded the warning on X. Interestingly, he is followed by the NTA administration.
The agency, reeling under criticism over the paper leak, moved fast to plug the crack which could have po-tentially helped outsiders access details linked to examination observers, centre coordinators and test centres — including names, mobile numbers and email addresses.
Sources, in the agency acknowledged the repair job, but stopped short of endorsing Anil’s statement about the damage it could have caused.
Anil alleged that the vul-nerabilities may have enabled actions such as exporting internal records, generating appointment letters, modifying observer data, uploading templates and managing administrative mappings linked to the examination process, triggering concern among students, parents and cybersecurity observers.
As screenshots and allegations circulated online, several users reported that the re-examination portal link had temporarily stopped working and was displaying a “404 Not Found” message. The development further fuelled speculation online regarding possible backend intervention or emergency technical changes.
In the evening, NTA officials maintained necessary corrective measures were implemented and the portal was functioning normally.
Manash Pratim Gohain is a seasoned journalist with over two decad...
Read MoreManash Pratim Gohain is a seasoned journalist with over two decades at The Times of India, where he has built a rich body of work spanning education policy, politics, and governance. Renowned for his incisive coverage of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, accreditation reforms, and skilling initiatives, he has also reported on student politics, urban policy, and social movements. His political reportage—both reflective and news-driven—adds depth to his writing, bridging policy with public impact. Through his 2,500 articles and related outlets, he has emerged as a trusted voice in national discourse, particularly in linking education reform to broader societal change.
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