UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — How safe is India’s critical national infrastructure?

Question 1

As per the Information Technology Act, 2000, the term "Critical Information Infrastructure" is best defined as which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

A computer resource, the incapacitation or destruction of which shall have a debilitating impact on national security, economy, public health or safety

Answer

Any computer network declared by CERT-In as vital to the functioning of the internet in India

Answer

A government-owned data centre notified by MeitY for storing citizens' biometric data

Answer

Any information technology system operated by a public sector undertaking in the banking sector

Question 2

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) functions as the national nodal agency for cyber security incident response under which one of the following provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000?

Accepted Answer

Section 70B

Answer

Section 70A

Answer

Section 66F

Answer

Section 43A

Question 3

Which one of the following is the national nodal agency designated for the protection of Critical Information Infrastructure in India?

Accepted Answer

National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC)

Answer

National Cyber Coordination Centre

Answer

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)

Answer

Data Security Council of India

Question 4

The Computer Security Incident Response Team – Power (CSIRT-Power) was set up as an extended arm of CERT-In at which one of the following institutions?

Accepted Answer

Central Electricity Authority (CEA)

Answer

GRID-INDIA

Answer

Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC)

Answer

Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID)

Question 5

In the power-sector cybersecurity architecture, which one of the following functions as the apex sectoral response team that coordinates the sub-sectoral CERTs and acts on cyber threat intelligence received from CERT-In?

Accepted Answer

CSIRT-Power

Answer

GRID-INDIA Security Operation Centre

Answer

NCIIPC

Answer

CSIRT-Thermal

Question 6

As part of the power-sector cybersecurity framework being formalised by the Draft CEA (Cyber Security in Power Sector) Regulations, how many sub-sectoral Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) has the Ministry of Power constituted?

Accepted Answer

Six

Answer

Four

Answer

Five

Answer

Eight

Question 7

Reflecting its heavily digitised and high-value attack surface, which one of the following critical sectors accounted for the largest number of cybersecurity audits conducted by CERT-In in 2024-25?

Accepted Answer

Banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI)

Answer

Power and energy

Answer

Telecom

Answer

Transport

UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — How safe is India’s critical national infrastructure?

Q1. As per the Information Technology Act, 2000, the term "Critical Information Infrastructure" is best defined as which one of the following?

Q2. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) functions as the national nodal agency for cyber security incident response under which one of the following provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000?

Q3. Which one of the following is the national nodal agency designated for the protection of Critical Information Infrastructure in India?

Q4. The Computer Security Incident Response Team – Power (CSIRT-Power) was set up as an extended arm of CERT-In at which one of the following institutions?

Q5. In the power-sector cybersecurity architecture, which one of the following functions as the apex sectoral response team that coordinates the sub-sectoral CERTs and acts on cyber threat intelligence received from CERT-In?

Q6. As part of the power-sector cybersecurity framework being formalised by the Draft CEA (Cyber Security in Power Sector) Regulations, how many sub-sectoral Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) has the Ministry of Power constituted?

Q7. Reflecting its heavily digitised and high-value attack surface, which one of the following critical sectors accounted for the largest number of cybersecurity audits conducted by CERT-In in 2024-25?