Archive · 1 Sep 2026
Teen Hacker Withholds Government Vulnerabilities Pending MeitY Response
A teenage hacker says he has found many security problems in government websites and systems.
He estimates there are about 200 to 300 problems that he has not reported yet.
He says he is waiting for MeitY to respond before sharing them.
After an earlier CBSE story, the Home Ministry contacted him directly.
He says they worked together to quietly fix another government portal.
He did not name that portal.
He believes the Home Ministry is easier to work with than CERT-In.
He also says he does this work for free, while CERT-In is paid for its work.
Adhikary says he is sitting on 200–300 unreported government vulnerabilities.
He says he will not disclose the vulnerabilities until the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology responds.
The Home Ministry reportedly contacted him after a CBSE story and cooperated on patching an unnamed portal.
Adhikary described the Home Ministry as more helpful and cooperative than CERT-In.
He says he conducts the work for free and claims CERT-In is paid for cybersecurity efforts.
- Who
- Adhikary, described as a teen hacker, and government bodies including the Home Ministry, MeitY and CERT-In.
- What
- Adhikary says he has identified 200–300 unreported government vulnerabilities and is withholding disclosure pending a MeitY response.
- When
- The report does not specify when the vulnerabilities were discovered; the Home Ministry contacted him after the CBSE story broke.
- Where
- The report refers to government portals but does not identify their location; one portal was left unnamed.
- Why
- Adhikary says he is waiting for MeitY to respond before disclosing the vulnerabilities.
- Unreported vulnerabilities
- 200–300, according to Adhikary
- Disclosure condition
- He says he will not disclose them until MeitY responds
- Government cooperation
- The Home Ministry reportedly worked with him to patch an unnamed portal
- Comparison with CERT-In
- Adhikary called the Home Ministry more helpful and cooperative than CERT-In
- Payment
- Adhikary says he does the work for free
- Earlier incident
- The Home Ministry approached him after the CBSE story broke