As India’s parliament passed a stringent anti-paper leak bill proposing a 10-year jail term for offenders, a Dubai student who exposed vulnerabilities in the country’s exam portals says legislation alone isn’t enough. He has called on the government to put in place stronger cybersecurity measures and conduct regular vulnerability testing to prevent future breaches.
“Examination portals contain highly sensitive student information, so they must be protected with strong security controls,” said Rylen Anil, a Grade 12 student at JSS Private School. He made headlines in June when he identified serious security flaws in two of India’s most sensitive examination systems within hours.
“Regular monitoring and faster responses to reported vulnerabilities can greatly reduce the risk of data being accessed by malicious actors.”
For the young cybersecurity enthusiast, the work goes beyond technical fixes – it’s about safeguarding the futures of millions of students whose lives depend on these high-stakes examinations. He recommended regular Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) on all examination portals, especially before major exam periods and after significant system updates.
“Hearing about the human cost surrounding examination-related issues is extremely upsetting, especially because these exams can determine a student’s future,” he said. “It makes me understand that cybersecurity is not only about protecting systems and data, but also about protecting real people who depend on those systems.”
A controversy storm
Rylen’s discovery came amid a wave of controversy that had already engulfed India’s education system. In May, the Neet medical entrance exam – taken by over 2.2 million candidates – faced a major paper leak, with a leaked “sample paper” containing around 120 matching questions circulating online.
The scandal triggered weeks of student-led protests, with activists behind the Cockroach Janta Party movement demanding accountability. Activists claim that more than 20 students died by suicide this year, with families reportedly blaming the exam scandal for their deaths.
The unrest ultimately forced Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign on July 25. Senior politician Pralhad Joshi took over as the new education minister shortly thereafter.
On Wednesday, India’s Lok Sabha passed an anti-paper leak bill introducing stricter penalties, including up to 10 years of imprisonment and fines of up to Rs10 crore (approximately Dh3 million) for accused individuals and entities involved in organised paper leaks.
Responsible reporting
The teenager, a member of the globally ranked Capture The Flag cybersecurity team g4mra, reported his findings to India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) before making them public. The authorities acted swiftly.
“I am extremely happy that the authorities saw and acknowledged my findings and were able to fix the issues before a malicious actor discovered them,” Rylen said. “It showed me that responsible disclosure can create a real impact and help protect thousands of students.”
He received personal thanks from NTA officials. IIT Roorkee, which manages the JEE portal, publicly acknowledged the issue and said it had been “immediately rectified”.
He pointed out that vulnerabilities “must be reported responsibly, carefully and without creating unnecessary panic”.
The Dubai student, who has been interested in computer systems since Grade 8 and began learning Python at age seven, hopes to pursue a career in cybersecurity. He currently works for IIT Kanpur’s technology innovation center C3iHub as junior cybersecurity engineer.
Source: Khaleej Times