CBSE Revaluation Portal Hit by Cyberattack, Affecting 50 Students
A malicious cyberattack targeted the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) revaluation portal’s payment system, impacting around 50 students, government sources confirmed. The breach, linked to the HDFC Bank payment gateway, caused erratic fee displays ranging from ₹1 to nearly ₹67,000–68,000 due to unauthorized manipulation of the system.
The incident occurred shortly after the portal went live, disrupting its functionality. Sources suggested the attack may have been carried out either as a prank or with malicious intent. In response, the CBSE has integrated four additional public sector banks State Bank of India, Canara Bank, Indian Bank, and Bank of Maharashtra as alternative payment gateways to bolster security.
A joint team of experts from IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, and the Digital Infrastructure Corporation of India is currently auditing the system to identify vulnerabilities and enhance its resilience. The portal has since been migrated to Amazon Web Services (AWS) to improve stability and scalability.
The issue was addressed in a high-level meeting on May 24, where Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman discussed strengthening the payment infrastructure. The four PSU banks will assist in securing the portal’s integration with the CBSE’s post-exam systems. A test run conducted recently confirmed the updated system’s functionality.
HDFC Bank TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/hdfc-bank
"id": "hdf1780143878",
"linkid": "hdfc-bank",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "5/2026",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "2",
"explanation": "Attack limited on finance or reputation"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '50 students',
'industry': 'Education',
'location': 'India',
'name': 'Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)',
'type': 'Government Education Board'}],
'attack_vector': 'Payment gateway manipulation',
'description': 'A malicious cyberattack targeted the Central Board of '
'Secondary Education (CBSE) revaluation portal’s payment '
'system, impacting around 50 students. The breach, linked to '
'the HDFC Bank payment gateway, caused erratic fee displays '
'ranging from ₹1 to nearly ₹67,000–68,000 due to unauthorized '
'manipulation of the system.',
'impact': {'operational_impact': 'Disrupted functionality of the revaluation '
'portal',
'systems_affected': 'CBSE revaluation portal payment system'},
'initial_access_broker': {'entry_point': 'HDFC Bank payment gateway'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing audit to identify vulnerabilities',
'motivation': ['Prank', 'Malicious intent'],
'references': [{'source': 'Government sources'}],
'response': {'containment_measures': 'Integration of four additional public '
'sector banks as alternative payment '
'gateways',
'recovery_measures': 'Test run conducted to confirm updated '
'system functionality',
'remediation_measures': 'Migration to Amazon Web Services (AWS) '
'for improved stability and scalability',
'third_party_assistance': 'Joint team of experts from IIT '
'Madras, IIT Kanpur, and the Digital '
'Infrastructure Corporation of India'},
'stakeholder_advisories': 'High-level meeting with Union Education Minister '
'Dharmendra Pradhan and Finance Minister Nirmala '
'Sitharaman to strengthen payment infrastructure',
'title': 'CBSE Revaluation Portal Hit by Cyberattack',
'type': 'Cyberattack'}