A 21-year-old boy from Rajkot, a Tier-2 city in Gujarat, recently received a letter from NASA. The letter thanked him and stated that his reporting had helped protect the integrity and availability of NASA’s information.
They added that his efforts would better enable NASA to continue its advances in science, technology, aeronautics, and space exploration.
This appreciation wasn’t without reason—Sarvagn had discovered critical bugs in NASA’s network that allowed him to completely take over user accounts, without any activity or visibility on the user’s side.
In September 2023, Sarvagn was rewarded with a T-shirt by the Government of the Netherlands bearing the phrase: “I hacked the Dutch government and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.”
It was a token of recognition for breaching the Dutch government’s secure network and exposing its vulnerability. Sarvagn jokingly told them, “I hacked your network because I wanted this T-shirt.” He admits, with a smile, that he was aware of the T-shirt beforehand and ensured he received it.
After completing his schooling in Rajkot, Sarvagn secured admission to DA-IICT (Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology) in Gandhinagar, where he pursued a B.Tech in ICT. He also earned an internship at the prestigious DRDO laboratory in Delhi.
Sarvagn Pathak’s name has already been included in the ‘Hall of Fame’ by NASA, UNESCO, and WHO.
He has received letters of appreciation from several prestigious international and government bodies, including the Government of the Netherlands, the Australian Signals Directorate, New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell, the California Department of Technology, the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the US Department of Energy, the US Department of Education, and Princeton University.
After completing his B.Tech, Sarvagn was admitted to the New Jersey Institute of Technology to pursue a Master’s degree in Cybersecurity.
According to him, “During my fifth semester, I was able to access secured endpoints in my institute’s IT network, even though I was not authorised to do so. This incident encouraged me to explore cybersecurity more deeply. After studying the subject in detail, I began participating in Bug Bounty programmes, which are run by public organisations that reward individuals for identifying critical bugs in their networks. The rewards are typically in the form of merchandise and a place in their Hall of Fame.”
Sarvagn is strongly supported by his father, Devarshi Pathak, a leading photographer, and his mother, Sheetal. He comes from a traditional Indian joint family, where he is lovingly guided by his grandparents, uncle, aunt, and two sisters.
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