New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has acknowledged allegations that scanned Class 12 answer sheets were available online in a manner that could be accessed easily by the public. The board said it is taking steps to strengthen its technology and security controls.
This year, CBSE uploaded answer sheets digitally for re-evaluation and marks verification after results were announced, introducing an on-screen marking (OSM) process. Students had earlier complained of technical issues, including unclear scans and some responses not being fully uploaded.
Amid the concerns, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had said he would take responsibility for the technical glitches. Separately, a 19-year-old cyber security researcher, Nisarga Adhikari, alleged that a security weakness in CBSE’s Amazon cloud storage setup allowed answer sheets to be viewed and downloaded without passwords or authentication.
Screenshots circulating on social media were said to show students’ handwritten scripts, evaluation sheets and additional pages in the public domain, along with personal details. The incident drew criticism from political parties including the Congress.
In a statement, CBSE thanked those who flagged the issue and urged that such complaints be reported through official channels. The board said it is monitoring reported vulnerabilities on its service provider’s “OnMark” website, and that cyber security experts from government departments and institutions including IIT Madras have been engaged to move to a more secure architecture. CBSE added that identified gaps have been contained and further weaknesses are being examined and fixed.
