Kulgam youth earns spot in NASA's Hall of Fame

Srinagar, May 21: A 22-year-old techie, Muneeb Amin Bhat from south Kashmir has entered the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Hall of Fame for spotting data breach vulnerabilities in their system.

Muneeb reported his findings to NASA under their vulnerability disclosure programme following which he got recognition and acknowledgement from NASA for his work and mention in their Hall of Fame.

“I recently worked with NASA and identified some vulnerabilities in their systems. I reported them, and NASA's security team validated the report, confirming that the vulnerabilities were indeed valid,” Muneeb said.

He said that NASA later mentioned his name in their Hall of Fame.

Over the years, Muneeb has identified flaws in various organisations, earning prizes and mentions in the Hall of Fame.

“I have worked hard for this and continue to work diligently. I have not just worked with NASA or Apple but also with many other big organisations. I have secured USSA, INDEED, Oracle, and other major companies,” he said.

For Muneeb, being engaged in such work brings him great joy as he believes that he plays an important role in improving user privacy in various organisations.

Owing to his achievements in the tech world, Muneeb has proved that dreams can come true with hard work.

Before getting his mention in NASA’s Hall of Fame, Muneeb earned his recognition at Apple's Hall of Fame in 2023 after he reported vulnerabilities in their system.

Muneeb, a resident of Zungalpora village in south Kashmir's Kulgam district is currently pursuing Bachelor's Computer Applications (BCA) through IGNOU.

Muneeb shared his achievement on his Instagram that he has got a mention in NASA's Hall of Fame.

Muneeb says he has always been fascinated by exploring space since his childhood.

“I am really happy that my contribution has played a role in securing the data of NASA. I am encouraged to see that my name got a mention in NASA's Hall of Fame,” he said.

Muneeb developed his interest in cyber security when he was in class 5th.

He did not take any tuition but trained himself by taking help from YouTube, Google and other relevant research papers published.

Notably, Muneeb has earned his recognition at a time when cyber threats and complaints of data breaches are rampant.

“I believe that cyber security is a prime concern these days as hackers are making attempts to hack websites and breach the data. People need more awareness about it,” he said.