Kashmiri Techie Enters NASA's 'Hall of Fame' For Cybersecurity

By Fnf correspondent | PUBLISHED: 21, May 2024, 20:03 pm IST | UPDATED: 21, May 2024, 20:03 pm IST

A techie from the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir has entered NASA's 'Hall of Fame' after identifying vulnerabilities leading to data breaches in its system. Twenty-two-year-old cybersecurity researcher Munib Amin Bhatt achieved this feat after making it to Apple's 'Hall of Fame' in 2023 by reporting vulnerabilities in Apple systems. Munib was also honored with an award by Apple for his contributions.

Muneeb, a resident of Zungalpora village in Kulgam, South Kashmir, reported his findings under NASA's Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP). This program facilitates the awareness of otherwise unknown vulnerabilities to the US agency. Due to VDP guidelines, Munib cannot disclose the specifics of the external vulnerabilities in the NASA system. However, he mentioned that it involved sensitive data exposure.

Muneeb Amin Bhatt said, “I was inducted into the ‘Hall of Fame’ by Apple in 2023. They allowed me to ethically hack their systems to investigate vulnerabilities and report them. They later validated and accepted my findings, adding my name to their ‘Hall of Fame’. Recently, I did the same for NASA, found some vulnerabilities, and reported them. NASA accepted my findings and inducted me into their Hall of Fame. I am extremely happy and proud to help security organizations secure their data.”

Over the past few years, Muneeb has been working tirelessly, identifying vulnerabilities in many organizations. For his efforts, he has received millions of dollars in awards and recognition in various Halls of Fame. He has ethically hacked and secured many international organizations, including Oracle, McDonald’s, Intel, USAA, Indeed, and many others.

Many organizations around the world improve their security by calling on ethical hackers to help them keep their data safe. They have their own cybersecurity teams, but to ensure complete safety, they invite hackers to investigate their systems. That is why we are invited, and we investigate and report on vulnerabilities. I am extremely happy that my name has been listed in the Hall of Fame,” said Muneeb Ahmad Bhat.

Muneeb is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) degree from IGNOU, having started this after dropping out of a B.Tech program at a private engineering college in Kashmir.