Cybersecurity researcher Nisarga Adhikary, a 19-year-old who has recently made news headlines after pointing out flaws in the CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, has got himself a job in IIT-Kanpur. The young researcher, who cleared his Class 12 examinations this year, has been appointed as an Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and threat intelligence engineer at the institute’s cybersecurity innovation hub, C3iHub. His recruitment comes just weeks after a blog post detailing alleged security flaws in the CBSE evaluation portal triggered widespread discussion about the security of the board’s digital infrastructure.
One question that has drawn significant attention since the appointment is how much Adhikary will earn in his new role. Neither IIT Kanpur nor Adhikary has publicly disclosed the exact salary package attached to the position. But based on available information, it seems likely that the jobs available for cybersecurity in institutions and engineering project management at IIT Kanpur have salaries of up to Rs 3.2 lakh and Rs 24 lakh respectively per year.
Nisarga Adhikary says salary is lower than he expected
As per reports, while speaking about his new job, Nisarga Adhikary admitted that the compensation was below what he had initially hoped for. The teenager explained that his previous work experience with US-based companies had shaped his expectations about earnings.
“The salary is decent, but I was expecting a bit more. I’m used to working on projects and with companies based in the US, and I do miss the financial advantage that comes with earning in dollars because of the USD-INR conversion,” he told HT.
Despite the difference in pay, Adhikary said he was enthusiastic about joining IIT Kanpur because the role would allow him to work directly in cybersecurity. His appointment follows the attention generated by his blog post, which brought the CBSE OSM system under public scrutiny and sparked a national conversation around digital security in education systems.
IIT Kanpur director explains why the institute hired Nisarga
IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agrawal said he personally reached out to Nisarga Adhikary after reading the blog post about the CBSE portal. According to Agrawal, the institute saw value in the young researcher’s skills and experience.
“Nisarga Adhikary has been appointed as an engineer in our cybersecurity team. A few years ago, we had similarly recruited a couple of young engineers for the same team. I am not sure whether he is the youngest recruit at IIT Kanpur, but he is certainly among the youngest engineers to have been hired by the institute,” Agrawal said, as per reports.
At IIT Kanpur, Adhikary will work on identifying vulnerabilities in websites and applications and analysing publicly available information to help organisations spot and address security threats. The position is contractual and falls under the institute’s cybersecurity team.
From software engineering projects to a full-time security-focused role
Reports say that when speaking about his new responsibilities, Adhikary said, “I am excited about this opportunity because it is the first time I will be working in a security-focused role. In my earlier jobs, I primarily worked as a software engineer, while cybersecurity was more of a hobby.”
Although only 19, Adhikary says he already has substantial industry exposure. Reflecting on his background, he noted, “And also worked as a founding engineer at one point. Also worked at some VC-funded large startups.” His move to IIT Kanpur now marks a new chapter, turning a long-standing interest in cybersecurity into a professional career.
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
