Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.indiatoday.in
Websites on the internet seem to be becoming vulnerable day by day. In a recent report, Film certification records of more than 500 titles, including feature films, were exposed in a data leak at the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). This leaked material includes scripts, cut orders and other documents submitted by filmmakers to get their movies cleared for theatrical release. While this may sound like paperwork that rarely makes it beyond a government office, some of these records could contain sensitive business information.
The CBFC uses an online portal called e-Cinepramaan, which was launched a decade ago to digitise its certification work. Filmmakers submit documents through this portal when they apply for certification. Now, according to a report by The Hindu, the exposed documents were allegedly accessed through this e-Cinepramaan portal. The documents reportedly remained accessible for days, even though many had been uploaded earlier and were later taken down.
What was exposed in the CBFC data leak?
Notably, the leaked files were not the movies themselves; these were reportedly shooting scripts, cut orders and other documents submitted during the certification process. These records were available for download through the Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library that preserves online content. The material was reportedly removed after the issue came to light.
But these scripts and certification details can still reveal information that filmmakers may not want publicly available, particularly before a film’s release.
The incident could also have implications beyond creative work. According to The Hindu, some exposed records included local distribution agreements for films such as Brazilian Academy Award nominee The Secret Agent and the Hollywood film Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. At least three agreements identified in the report revealed the fees paid for licensing films.
Such contracts can contain commercially sensitive details, including revenue-sharing arrangements, intellectual property rights, promotional obligations and conditions around a film’s storyline or production. If these details become public, they could potentially affect negotiations between distributors, producers and other industry players.
The CBFC said it was investigating the breach and conducting a security audit of the portal. It also said it had reviewed the information shared about the alleged unauthorised access, but had not found evidence of further access to the documents claimed to have been exposed.
The Internet Archive told The Hindu that the account in question had been taken down and that it had filed a complaint with cybercrime authorities. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) was also notified.
The CBFC said the user had stopped uploading files after the portal became unavailable for hours on October 4. It added that no individual filmmaker’s account appeared to have been compromised, while committing to a thorough security audit. It’s also worth noting that the investigation is reportedly still going on, and the full extent of the exposure remains unclear.
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