Too little, too...
A senior cybersecurity source working with the central government said that while efforts to trace the exact leak were still underway, the question paper was observed to have been put up on several dark web discussion forums, which serve as illegal marketplaces for contraband.
“From there, it made its way to Telegram and once that happened, it was a free for all. Just like the dark web, Telegram has all sorts of players, from those looking to make a profit to those simply trying to cause disruption. As a result, there were Telegram channels offering the bonafide question paper for a price, those offering it for free and those making big bucks by offering a bogus question paper,” the source said.
FPJ found a total of seven Telegram channels still operational, where the question paper had been offered for sale. Of these, a few were open channels, but most of them were just entry-points for a second channel, where entry was approved by the administrator. These channels had also disabled taking screenshots under Telegrams privacy settings. The oldest channel offering the papers for sale, with all privacy settings and precautions set to the max, was established in February this year.
Apart from UGC NET, there were other channels offering questions papers of other government exams like the NEET for sale, asking customers to ‘book their slots’ beforehand so that they could avail of the question paper as soon as it was obtained.
“Telegram has become a mode of preference for illicit activities because of the features it offers. There is a high amount of privacy, one can use it across different devices using the same number and download vast quantities of data. Entire software can be pirated and uploaded to Telegram. But one must also remember that many of these Telegram channels can be frauds looking to make a quick buck, because these same features let fraudsters discard one account and make another as per their need,” said Additional Director General of Police Brijesh Singh, Principal Secretary to the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office.
Since news of the leak, cybercrime investigation agencies in several states across India have been digging into the scope of the racket, and finding multiple instances of question papers being offered on the dark web, with payment being accepted in cryptocurrency. The veracity of these claims is still being verified.
“What is concerning is that forget the dark web, there are students starting discussion threads on forums on the open web, asking how they can access the dark web to buy the question papers,” said a Mumbai based officer.
Cybercrime investigator Ritesh Bhatia also raised another pertinent point.
“Has the UGC started the process of finding out how the question paper made its way to the dark web? Has there been an internal audit? Will they make a responsible disclosure as to whether there was insider involvement, a leak in the system or an external party at work? With data protection and cybersecurity being the hot topics, the UGC has the perfect opportunity to be the first government institution to walk to talk. But will they?” asked Bhatia.