The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has termed the reports circulating on social media regarding its database being hacked and data being leaked as false, misleading, and baseless.
According to an HEC spokesperson, the Cyber Security Operations Center completed an immediate investigation into the viral claims on social media, which confirmed that the alleged data circulating online is not part of HEC’s degree attestation or verification system.
The HEC spokesperson strongly denied social media reports claiming that the HEC database had been hacked and further stated that the records going viral on social media have no connection whatsoever with the Higher Education Commission’s database.
The Higher Education Commission appealed to the public to refrain from spreading unverified rumors on social media and stated that HEC’s database and degree verification system are completely secure.
In other news, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has officially delayed the compulsory requirement of GRE/HAT test for admission to level 7 and level 8 academic programmes till 2027.
The announcement comes following several universities’ request for more time to get ready for the new admission system.
The previous plan had called for the policy to be implemented from the 2026 admission cycle.
After considering higher education institutions throughout the country, the HEC has deferred the requirement by one year for a smoother transition.
Students aiming to enter advanced degree courses like MS, MPhil and PhD will be asked from the 2027 academic year to have a minimum score of 1000 in the General Test and a 100 in the Subject Test in the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Higher Aptitude Test (HAT).
The commission has also delayed the implementation of the policy on testing which was to be done through the Education Testing Council (ETC), officials said.
