The American space agency, NASA, has recognized and honored Nepali student Prachit Regmi for identifying a bug that could have exposed employee records on one of NASA’s websites.

Regmi, a fourth-semester B.Sc. CSIT student at Meta Horizon College in Baneshwor, was rewarded after responsibly reporting the security vulnerability he discovered on the website.

According to Campus Chief Niranjan Sapkota, the student received recognition and appreciation from NASA for finding the vulnerability.

“A student studying at our college identified a bug that could have been used to access NASA employee-related information. NASA sent a letter expressing its gratitude and appreciation for his contribution,” he said.

NASA sent an official letter acknowledging Regmi’s efforts. The letter stated:

“On behalf of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and NASA’s Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (VDP) program, we would like to recognize and appreciate your efforts as an independent security researcher for identifying the reported vulnerability and responsibly disclosing it in accordance with NASA’s VDP policies and guidelines.”

NASA further noted that the reported vulnerability had not previously been known to the organization and that the report helped identify a potential security weakness.

The letter continued:

“The ability to discover and report vulnerabilities is an extremely valuable skill in the field of information security. Your report helped NASA become aware of a previously unknown potential security weakness and contributed to maintaining the security, integrity, and availability of our information systems.”

NASA also expressed its gratitude and requested that the letter be accepted as a token of appreciation:

“Please accept this letter as a symbol of our gratitude and recognition for your efforts. Your contribution has helped NASA continue advancing science, technology, aeronautics, and space exploration, while also supporting knowledge, education, innovation, economic prosperity, and the protection of Earth. We are all part of the broader security community, and we greatly appreciate your participation and expertise.”