Student breaches IIT Kanpur site after missing out on a BTech cyber security seat, leaves message asking for “a fair chance”
Instead of filing an FIR, institute considers internship at its C3iHub cybersecurity centre, asks him to reapply for admission next year
A young man who failed to get a seat in IIT Kanpur’s BTech Cyber Security course broke into the institute’s website and left behind a message that read: “Site is Hacked, All I Need Is Just a Fair Chance.”
Rather than going straight to the police, the institute has decided to give him another chance. Officials are now considering an internship at C3iHub, the campus’s cyber security centre, and have told him he can try again for admission next year. Institute chooses second chance over legal action
Director Manindra Agrawal said the admissions process had already closed by the time the breach took place, so there were legal and procedural matters to think through. Even so, he said, the institute did not want to ruin a young person’s future over one mistake, and that is why they chose to offer him a way forward.
Once the hack came to light, the student posted screenshots on X and Reddit, admitting openly that he was behind it. He said he never meant to cause any damage. He just wanted to show his cyber security skills after missing out on a place.
Agrawal explained that students applying for the course already get several chances to prove their abilities during admissions, including through hackathon rounds. This particular student simply wasn’t able to prove himself at the time, he said.
Although the institute first considered filing an FIR, it later chose a softer approach, backing the student’s talent while making clear that hacking is not an acceptable way to get noticed.
“We want other students to know that this is not the right way to seek opportunities,” Agrawal said.
Openings for cyber talent
Agrawal added that IIT Kanpur welcomes cyber security enthusiasts to send their CVs for internship or job roles at C3iHub. He urged students to follow proper and lawful means to reach their goals, warning that actions like unauthorised hacking can lead to serious consequences.
The episode has sparked a debate about how institutions should balance recognising talent with upholding the law.
Many people have praised IIT Kanpur for protecting a young student’s future, but the institute has been clear that ethical hacking and responsible reporting of flaws are the only acceptable ways to demonstrate cyber security skills, not breaking in without permission.
