Keeping in view India's internal security, analyse the impact of cross-border cyber attacks. Also discuss defensive measures…

Keeping in view India's internal security, analyse the impact of cross-border cyber attacks. Also discuss defensive measures against these sophisticated attacks. (Answer in 150 words)

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

भारत की आंतरिक सुरक्षा को ध्यान में रखते हुए, सीमा-पार से होने वाले साइबर हमलों के प्रभाव का विश्लेषण कीजिए। साथ ही, इन परिष्कृत हमलों के विरुद्ध रक्षात्मक उपायों की चर्चा कीजिए। (150 शब्दों में उत्तर दीजिए)

The question as printed in the 2021 General Studies paper

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Model answer

Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.

(a) Impact on internal security: Intrusions into critical infrastructure such as power grids and financial systems threaten essential services; a 2021 Recorded Future report linked malware in Indian grid systems to a China-linked group, though the cause of the 2020 Mumbai blackout remained disputed. Ransomware, data theft and intellectual-property theft damage economic security and business confidence. State-sponsored espionage, cyber-enabled terrorism, online radicalisation and disinformation can undermine social harmony and political stability.

(b) Defensive measures: Technical safeguards include air-gapping and hardening critical systems, supported by the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) and CERT-In under the IT Act, 2000 (including incident-reporting directions). Institutionally, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and sectoral CERTs should be strengthened, and an updated National Cyber Security Strategy and a clear cyber deterrence doctrine adopted. Internationally, India should use bilateral cyber pacts and UN forums such as the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) to shape norms, while building indigenous cyber-defence capability.

How this answer will be evaluated

Framework: Security: classify threat, vulnerability, response; stay calm

What earns full marks: Precise threat classification, specific internal security impacts, and actionable defensive measures.

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

The answer Impact of cross-border cyber attacks on internal security and defensive measures. 10 marks · 150 words

analyse— intro → causes → effects → stakeholders/linkages → way forward
Must cover
- Classify threat types (e.g., APTs, DDoS, data theft)
- Link specific impacts to internal security (e.g., critical infrastructure, social harmony)
- Identify vulnerabilities (e.g., legacy systems, lack of awareness)
- List implementable defensive measures (legal, institutional, technical)
Loses marks
- Dramatic security writing without substance
- Generic measures without implementation details
- Ignoring the 'internal security' context
Earns more
- Mention CERT-In or MeitY role
- Reference IT Act 2000 or Cyber Security Policy
- Discuss data localization or cloud security
- Mention international cooperation (e.g., UN, bilateral)
Extra mark
- Cite specific incident (e.g., 2022 data breach)
- Mention specific scheme (e.g., National Cyber Security Strategy)

What "Analyse" is asking you to do

Break the subject into its working parts and show how they act on each other. The marks are in the interconnections — which factor drives which, and what the resulting structure explains — not in the inventory of factors.

Structure that answers it

Define the whole → separate it into its parts → show which part drives which → what that interaction produces → what the structure implies

Where marks are lost

A flat list of causes with no account of which drives which. An answer of neatly separated headings, each self-contained, scores as description.

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