CBSE ‘hack’, IIT gig and US recognition: Nisarga Adhikary’s incredible year at 19

CBSE 'hack', IIT gig and US recognition: Nisarga Adhikary's incredible year at 19 The cybersecurity researcher.

Key points

• 8 min read New Delhi Updated: Oct 5, 2026 05: 24 PM IST.
• Nisarga Adhikary (left) and Debarghya Das, partner at Menlo Ventures.
• Nisarga Adhikary was sitting in the Starbucks café at IIT Kanpur.
• "I was having my second cup of coffee when I received the email, " he recalls.

CBSE 'hack', IIT gig and US recognition: Nisarga Adhikary's incredible year at 19 The cybersecurity researcher. This person is now working at IIT Kanpur, was recognised by the US Department of Justice for reporting a vulnerability in one of its systems. Written by: Kartikeya Bhattacharyya.

Nisarga Adhikary (left) and Debarghya Das, partner at Menlo Ventures. (Photo: Instagram/nisarga.py).

Tuesday, September 22. It was almost an hour past midnight. Nisarga Adhikary was sitting in the Starbucks café at IIT Kanpur. An email notification flashed throughout his screen. It was a message from the US Department of Justice, acknowledging his work in finding and reporting a security flaw within their systems.

Nisarga Adhikary is only 19 years old. On paper, this recognition stood as one of the most prestigious accolades he could have ever imagined. Yet, surprisingly, he remained unfazed, showing no trace of excitement.

For now, CBSE 'hack', IIT gig and US recognition: Nisarga Adhikary's incredible year at remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.