Discover the 16-year-old Indian teenager who uncovered a significant blunder on NASA's internet portal, resulting in his recognition by the space agency. Residing in..., he was the one who pinpointed the error.
16-Year-Old Indian Student Discovers Major NASA Website Security Flaw
Vaishali Shastri
Updated: May 29, 2025, 06:37 AM IST
A notable 16-year-old student from Kanpur has made international headlines after exposing a substantial security flaw on NASA's website, earning him NASA's highest honor. Yuvraj Gupta, a Class 11 student at Saraswati Vidya Mandir Inter College, Damodar Nagar, has been accorded a letter of appreciation and inducted into NASA's prestigious Hall of Fame for his discovery.
The error Yuvraj detected posed a severe threat, as it could have facilitated scammers or hackers to send fraudulent emails from NASA's official domain. Remarkably, even the most skilled hackers failed to uncover this flaw, sparing NASA from widespread exploitation.
During his participation in NASA's bug bounty program, cybersecurity enthusiasts of all ages are encouraged to identify and report system weaknesses, Yuvraj discovered this vulnerability in a subdomain of NASA's website. Explaining his process, Yuvraj said, "After two weeks of persistent effort, one night I found a flaw in a NASA subdomain. I immediately documented my findings and submitted a detailed report, including a video, to the agency."
In the sixth grade, Yuvraj intrinsically sought to hack a Wi-Fi password out of curiosity. Ever since, he has honed his skills by learning from YouTube tutorials, online courses, and books. Last year, his exemplary abilities caught the attention of the founder of a cybersecurity firm, leading to training opportunities for police officers nationwide in the prevention of cybercrime. Despite coming from a relatively modest financial background, his family has consistently supported his aspirations in the realm of computers and cybersecurity.
However, Yuvraj's talent was neither acknowledged by the Indian government nor local authorities, having identified bugs in the websites of the Odisha and Maharashtra governments, neither appreciated his efforts. Nevertheless, this did not deter him from pursuing his passion in the realm of cybersecurity.
Keywords: Yuvraj Gupta, Cybersecurity, Cybercrime, NASA, NASA Website, flaw in NASA website, 16-year-old found bug on NASA website, Yuvraj gupta cybersecurity
[1] NASA Honors Indian Student for Discovering Major Website Security Flaw[2] Local Student Makes Headlines Exposing NASA's Major Website Flaw[4] Indian Teen Contributes to NASA's Cybersecurity with Major Discovery[5] Indian Student's Cybersecurity Skills Catch NASA's Attention
In light of the major security flaw Yuvraj Gupta, a 16-year-old student from India, discovered on NASA's website, it's surprising that similar efforts in identifying bugs on local government websites have gone unappreciated. Meanwhile, Yuvraj's latest accomplishment in sports could also prove noteworthy, as he's now training national police officers in the prevention of online sports fraud.