Ethical hacking can strengthen trust in online examinations

Online testing is an answer to organised syndicates leaking papers for nationwide examinations. Yet, organisations like CBSE must raise the bar on cybersecurity considerably. An effective method for detecting security gaps in software is ethical hacking, where the same tools are employed without any malicious intent. The idea is to expose and fix gaps before black-hat hackers (bad guys) can spot them. White-hat (ethical) hacking serves as a quality check for any cybersecurity architecture. Like all quality-control processes, ethical hacking must be continuous, with a feedback loop to system designers.

The ethical hacking industry is growing, with authorised hackers simulating cyberattacks. India is a natural market for white-hat hacking, given its role as a base for global digital transformation and its talent pool. eCommerce, fintech, payment platforms and cloud-based services require cybersecurity quality checks provided by ethical hackers. It should not be difficult to widen the pool to include online governance services, including examinations. The role is being redefined by AI-powered security tools that will strengthen the cybersecurity industry. Cloud security is becoming a leading business segment as companies store data online. Regulations governing the storage of personal data are creating additional demand for security testing.

Baseline security audits involve some degree of ethical hacking. The compliance burden increases with the criticality of the infra. For instance, breaches in financial or utility software can pose a threat to public safety. So, it is a matter of rewriting rules to include areas where there could be potential harm to large numbers of people, such as national examinations. A universal mandate for security testing may be prohibitively expensive and could compromise security by making the process mechanical. There is also a shortage of skilled personnel in the ethical hacking industry. Therefore, it must be applied selectively to achieve the best results.