CBSE Enhances Security Amid Cyber Threats in Evaluation Platform

CBSE continues employing COEMPT for scanning answer sheets while reinforcing security by moving data to its own servers. Amid controversies and cyber threats, IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras teams revamped the On-screen Marking system, ensuring robust defenses against attacks, maintaining seamless verification and re-evaluation services.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is tightening its grip on evaluation processes, continuing its engagement with COEMPT Eduteck Pvt Ltd for scanning answer sheets, despite previous vulnerabilities. All data from the On-screen Marking (OSM) system has been migrated from COEMPT's servers to those controlled by CBSE to bolster security.

Amid concerns over COEMPT's reliability, an official highlighted that out of 40 crore scanned pages, only 30,000 had issues, equating to 1 flawed page per 10,000. Ongoing re-evaluation entails scanning only these problematic pages. As of June 4, CBSE received over 70,000 applications related to result grievances, including requests for verification and re-evaluation.

CBSE's move comes after a comprehensive security review involving IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras, following reported cyberattacks and platform vulnerabilities. These institutions played crucial roles in strengthening CBSE's infrastructure, with Digital India Corporation spearheading the fortification of the OSM platform's code. This follows a Denial-of-Service attack on June 3, which was effectively mitigated, ensuring uninterrupted services.