CBSE re-evaluation portal hit by cyberattack attempts, reports DoS attack as 16,000 students submit applications

NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday said its re-evaluation portal came under multiple cyberattack attempts even as thousands of students accessed the platform to apply for verification of answer books and re-evaluation of marks.

In an update posted on X, the board said the portal was successfully handling more than 8,000 concurrent users and had processed over 16,000 student submissions by 3 pm. The development comes after days of concerns surrounding the board’s digital evaluation ecosystem, including complaints related to scanned answer sheets, delayed portal activation and cybersecurity vulnerabilities flagged by independent researchers.

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CBSE had opened the portal on June 2 after postponing the launch from its earlier schedule. Students who had already obtained scanned copies of their evaluated answer books can now apply for verification of issues such as missing pages, missing supplementary sheets, blurred scans and incorrect answer books, besides seeking re-evaluation of specific answers.

Board reports denial-of-service attack attempt
According to CBSE, its cybersecurity teams detected a series of malicious attempts aimed at disrupting portal operations during the day.

The board said the most recent incident involved a denial-of-service attack attempt that generated nearly 1.5 million hits on the portal within two minutes. It also reported more than one lakh attempts to gain unauthorised access to files linked to the system.

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Despite these incidents, CBSE said the portal remained operational and continued to accept applications from students.

“Our teams remain vigilant and responsive to ensure our dearest students are facilitated in all ways possible,” the board said in its post.

Portal launched after delay
The latest update comes against the backdrop of growing scrutiny over CBSE’s digital systems. The board had earlier postponed the activation of the re-evaluation portal, stating that additional work was being carried out to strengthen infrastructure and ensure a smooth application process.

The delay followed complaints from students who faced difficulties while accessing scanned answer books after the declaration of Class 12 results. Several candidates had reported issues including payment failures, portal errors and concerns regarding the quality of scanned copies.

Separately, cybersecurity concerns had also surfaced in recent weeks after researchers highlighted alleged vulnerabilities in certain CBSE-linked digital platforms. CBSE had subsequently said that identified vulnerabilities had been contained and that expert teams, including specialists from government agencies and premier technical institutions, were assisting in strengthening the system.

Session limits extended
CBSE also said student feedback received during the application process had been incorporated into the platform. According to the board, session time limits have been extended to make the portal more convenient and seamless for applicants.

The verification and re-evaluation window will remain open until June 6, with all applications and fee payments being accepted only through the online mode.

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