Cyberattack on CBSE Portal! 1.5 Million Hits in Just 2 Minutes—Learn What a DoS Attack Is and Why It Is Dangerous..

A recent attempt at a cyberattack was made against the CBSE re-evaluation and verification portal. According to the Board, while thousands of students were utilizing the portal, hackers flooded the system with a massive volume of fake traffic in an attempt to disrupt its operations. CBSE reported that approximately 1.5 million hits were recorded on the portal within a span of just two minutes. However, despite this attempted cyberattack, the Board successfully processed the applications of over 16,000 students. Following this incident, the DoS—or Denial-of-Service—attack has once again become a topic of discussion. Let us understand what this type of attack entails and why it is considered dangerous.

**How ​​Did the Cyberattack on the CBSE Portal Occur?**
Sharing details on the social media platform 'X', CBSE stated that at one point, more than 8,000 users were simultaneously active on the re-evaluation portal. It was during this time that cyberattackers targeted the portal using a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack. According to the Board, approximately 1.5 million hits were directed at the portal in just two minutes. Furthermore, over 100,000 attempts to gain unauthorized access to system files were also recorded. Despite this massive volume of suspicious activity, CBSE's cybersecurity team successfully managed the situation, and by 3:00 PM, the applications of more than 16,000 students had been successfully submitted.

**What is a Denial-of-Service Attack?**
A Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack is a type of cyberattack aimed at rendering a website, server, or online service inaccessible to legitimate users. Under normal circumstances, a website can easily process incoming requests; however, during a DoS attack, attackers flood the system with an overwhelming volume of fake or excessive traffic within a very short timeframe. This places sudden, immense pressure on the server, thereby compromising its resource capacity. Consequently, the website may slow down, display frequent error messages, or even crash completely. As a result, legitimate users face difficulties in logging in, filling out forms, or accessing the services provided.

**Why Are Such Attacks Considered Dangerous?**

Cybersecurity experts consider DoS attacks to be a serious threat because they can disrupt essential online services. If such an attack targets a government portal, banking platform, or educational website, thousands or even millions of users could be affected. This not only disrupts services but also poses operational challenges for the institutions involved. In many instances, attackers also utilize DoS attacks to divert the security team's attention, thereby enabling them to carry out other malicious activities. This is precisely why a robust cybersecurity framework and continuous monitoring are considered essential for defending against such attacks.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from TV9. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.