CBSE OSM Portal Cyberattack: 1.5 Million Hits in...

CURRENT AFFAIRS | JUNE 3, 2026

The CBSE’s newly-launched On-Screen Marking (OSM) portal for Class 12 re-evaluation came under sustained cyberattack within hours of going live on June 1. CBSE reported 1.5 million hits in just 10 minutes and one lakh file-access attempts by malicious actors. The portal launched a day late owing to attack-induced backend overhaul — and the incident lands amid the OSM glitches row that saw former Chairman Rahul Singh moved out.

Constitutional & Statutory Framework

Article 21: Right to Privacy as Fundamental Right — KS Puttaswamy v UoI (2017).
Information Technology Act, 2000: §43A (data protection liability), §66 (hacking), §66F (cyber terrorism), §70 (protected systems).
Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023: Operationalises informational privacy.
CERT-In: Under MeitY, nodal cyber-incident response body.
I4C: Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre under MHA.

Key Facts at a Glance

Portal launched	June 1, 2026
Attack intensity	1.5 million hits in 10 minutes
File-access attempts	1 lakh
Outgoing Chairman	Rahul Singh
New Chairman	Varun Bhardwaj
Statutes invoked	IT Act §43A, §66F; DPDP Act 2023

CLAT Angle — Legal Reasoning Hooks

Puttaswamy three-fold test: Legality + necessity + proportionality — applies when State systems mishandle student data.
State liability under §43A: Can CBSE (a body corporate?) be liable for compensation if sensitive personal data leaks?
Cyber terrorism scope: §66F requires intent to threaten national integrity — DoS on an exam portal sits at the borderline.
DPDP Act exemptions: Government data fiduciaries enjoy substantial carve-outs — a contested constitutional issue.

Mnemonic — ‘OSM HIT’

On-Screen Marking portal · Section 43A + 66F invoked · Million-and-a-half hits in 10 min · Hacker file-access attempts 1 lakh · IT Act 2000 + DPDP 2023 · Takeover by new Chairman Bhardwaj

Why It Matters for CLAT 2027

This is the perfect storm of Puttaswamy privacy, IT Act offences, and DPDP Act 2023 — three of CLAT’s most frequently tested constitutional and statutory topics. Expect passage-based Legal Reasoning on cyber terrorism thresholds and data-fiduciary liability.

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Test Your Knowledge

Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions

Click an option to reveal the answer and explanation.

Quick answers

Which case recognised the Right to Privacy as a Fundamental Right under Article 21?

KS Puttaswamy v UoI (2017). KS Puttaswamy v UoI (2017) — a 9-judge Bench unanimously held Right to Privacy is a Fundamental Right under Article 21.

Section 66F of the IT Act, 2000 deals with:

Cyber terrorism. Section 66F covers cyber terrorism, including DoS attacks intended to threaten unity, integrity, security, or sovereignty of India.

Section 43A of the IT Act creates liability for:

Failure of body corporate to protect sensitive personal data. Section 43A imposes compensation liability on a body corporate handling sensitive personal data that fails to maintain reasonable security practices.

The Digital Personal Data Protection Act was enacted in:

2023. The DPDP Act, 2023 received Presidential assent on August 11, 2023.

CERT-In, the national cybersecurity nodal agency, functions under which Ministry?

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) operates under MeitY.

I4C (Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre) is housed under:

Ministry of Home Affairs. I4C is under the Ministry of Home Affairs to combat cybercrime in a coordinated manner.

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