CBSE Successfully Thwarts Cyberattack, Ensures Smooth Online Services for Students

Cyberattack Prevented by CBSE

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that it successfully defended against a significant cyberattack aimed at its website. The attack, identified as a Denial of Service (DoS) assault, involved 3.8 million packets and occurred on Wednesday afternoon. Fortunately, the technical teams acted swiftly to mitigate the threat. Despite this incident, the Board's online services continued to function normally, with over 56,000 applications for answer sheet verification and re-evaluation submitted by 9:30 PM on the same day.

Continuous Monitoring of the Portal

In a recent update on the social media platform 'X', the CBSE confirmed that its technical teams are consistently monitoring the portal's performance. The Board is also implementing necessary enhancements to improve the user experience for students. They have urged students and parents to rely exclusively on official CBSE communications.

Multiple Payment Options Available

The CBSE has made payment gateways accessible through several banks, including State Bank of India (SBI), Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda, and Indian Bank for fee payments related to re-evaluation and verification. Students are not required to have accounts with these banks to make payments; they can use accounts from any bank for online transactions.

As reported by SBI, more than 40,000 successful transactions have been completed via its payment gateway. Additionally, Bank of Baroda has processed over 7,500 payments, while Indian Bank and Canara Bank have recorded over 5,000 and 4,000 transactions, respectively.

Previous Cyberattack Attempt

On the previous day, the CBSE reported an attempt by malicious actors to disrupt the re-evaluation portal. The Board noted that there were 1.5 million hits on the portal within just two minutes, along with over 100,000 unauthorized access attempts. Thanks to robust security measures, these attempts were effectively neutralized, ensuring no significant disruption to student services.

In response to numerous complaints from students and parents regarding technical issues, payment failures, and login problems, the CBSE has made several improvements. The session time limit has been extended, and the portal's stability has been enhanced.

Application Deadline and Fees

The CBSE launched an online portal on June 2 for students to verify errors in scanned answer sheets and request re-evaluation. This service is available only to those who have previously received scanned copies of their evaluated answer sheets. Applications can be submitted until midnight on June 6, with no late submissions accepted.

The verification fee is set at ₹100 per answer sheet, while re-evaluation costs ₹25 per question. Students are advised to carefully select their subjects and questions, as changes cannot be made after clicking the 'Freeze and Proceed to Payment' button.

Aadhaar Verification Requirement

To enhance security, the CBSE has introduced an Aadhaar-based verification system. Students without an Aadhaar card can use the Aadhaar number of a parent, guardian, or relative. The application process is fully digital, and applications will only be considered valid upon successful online fee payment. To assist students, the CBSE has provided a detailed visual guide and tutorial video. Results will be shared with students once the re-evaluation and verification processes are finalized.