CBSE re-evaluation portal hit by 1.5 million DoS attempts, stays online
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday, 2 June, said its re-evaluation and verification portal was targeted by multiple cyberattack attempts within hours of going live, but confirmed that the platform remained fully operational. According to the board, a large-scale denial-of-service (DoS) assault generated nearly 1.5 million hits in just two minutes, alongside more than one lakh unauthorised file-access attempts.
Key Developments
The portal opened for applications at 7 am on 2 June. In a post on X, CBSE said malicious actors attempted to disrupt services even as thousands of students logged in to file requests. ‘While thousands of students accessed the CBSE re-evaluation portal, malicious actors attempted to disrupt services through a barrage of cyberattacks,' the board stated.
How the portal held up
Despite the intrusion attempts, more than 16,000 students had successfully completed their submissions by 3 pm, CBSE said. The board added that it had refined the platform based on earlier student feedback, including extending session time limits to make the workflow smoother. ‘Our teams remain vigilant and responsive to ensure our dearest students are facilitated in all ways possible,' the statement said.
Who is eligible and how to apply
Per the official CBSE notice, the window will remain open until midnight on 6 June. Eligible students can request verification of discrepancies in their scanned answer books and seek re-evaluation of specific answers if dissatisfied with the assessment. Only students who have already obtained scanned copies of their evaluated answer sheets can avail of the facility.
New security layer
As part of the revised process, students must log in through their CBSE website accounts and complete Aadhaar authentication before accessing the portal. The board said Aadhaar verification has been introduced specifically to strengthen identity checks and harden the system against impersonation, a step that takes on added weight given the scale of Tuesday's attack traffic.
What's next
CBSE has indicated that its cybersecurity teams will continue monitoring the portal through the application window. With applications open till 6 June, the board faces a stress test of whether layered security and Aadhaar gating can keep pace with sustained attack volumes during peak student traffic.