BENGALURU: The rise of GenAI is exposing new vulnerabilities in campus hiring, as recruiters confront increasingly sophisticated cheating techniques-from hidden wearable devices and AI-assisted tools to proxy candidates and ghost coders taking control of assessments via remote desktop software.Recruiters say organised “interview-as-a-service” networks are making hiring fraud more sophisticated, prompting companies to deploy AI-powered proctoring as a key line of defence. Many Indian tech firms use AI-powered proctoring platforms like Talview and Mercer Mettl and assessment platforms like Hackerearth and Hackerrank to safeguard the integrity of hiring assessments.“We flag about 30%-35% of sessions with at least one suspicious behaviour. The biggest issue is the use of AI-powered cheating apps,” Vivek Ravisankar, co-founder and CEO of tech hiring platform HackerRank told TOI.To combat this, companies are moving away from browser-based assessments. AI-powered proctoring analyses webcam feeds, audio and screen activity to detect suspicious behaviour and safeguard the integrity of large-scale assessments.HackerEarth says cheating methods have evolved just as rapidly. According to its CEO, Vikas Aditya, the four most common forms of malpractice today are AI-generated code submissions, proxy candidates hired through Discord or Telegram groups, off-camera assistance through secondary devices or another individual feeding answers, and virtual machines or remote-desktop software that conceal a second AI session from proctoring systems.“The common thread is that nearly all of these exploit the same weakness-a static assessment that scores only the final answer without observing how it was produced,” Aditya said. “Our most effective defence is a short live follow-up interview where candidates explain their solution. Most candidates who relied on AI fail within two questions.”HackerEarth’s 2025 Technical Hiring Landscape Report shows the share of companies using proctored technical assessments rose from 64% at the beginning of 2025 to a peak of 77% by July.Across the year, nearly two-thirds of all technical assessments were proctored, reflecting growing concern over AI-enabled cheating. The industry believes many companies still underestimate the scale of the problem because conventional coding tests reveal only the final score-not how it was achieved.
