UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Quantum-safe thinking

Q1. In August 2024, NIST finalised its first set of post-quantum cryptography standards as Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS), which India's migration planning references. How many standards were included in this first finalised set?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q2. In the context of quantum-safe thinking, the expression 'harvest now, decrypt later' most precisely refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Adversaries intercepting and storing currently-encrypted data with the intention of decrypting it once a sufficiently powerful quantum computer becomes available
  • B. Using an existing quantum computer to instantly decrypt all intercepted traffic in real time as it is transmitted
  • C. Deleting encrypted archives now so that they cannot later be exposed by a quantum computer
  • D. Migrating stored data to post-quantum algorithms first and only later encrypting live traffic

Q3. With reference to the 'harvest now, decrypt later' threat, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It primarily targets data protected by public-key/asymmetric encryption schemes.
  2. Data with long-term confidentiality requirements is especially exposed to it.
  3. The attack requires an operational large-scale quantum computer to already exist at the moment the encrypted data is harvested.
  4. The harvesting phase is passive and can go undetected by the victim.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q4. The three post-quantum cryptography standards (FIPS 203, 204 and 205) around which India's quantum-safe migration planning is built were finalised in 2024 solely by which one of the following bodies?

  • A. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), USA
  • B. International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
  • C. Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
  • D. European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)

Q5. The Task Force that produced the 2026 report 'Implementation of Quantum Safe Ecosystem in India' was constituted exclusively under which one of the following?

  • A. The National Quantum Mission of the Department of Science and Technology (DST)
  • B. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
  • C. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)
  • D. The National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC)

Q6. How many dedicated sub-groups were constituted under the DST Task Force on the Quantum Safe Ecosystem — one to build a testing and certification framework and another to devise a PQC migration and crypto-agility strategy?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q7. Under the National Quantum Mission, four Thematic Hubs (T-Hubs) have been set up. With reference to the pairing of each hub's theme with its host institution, consider the following. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Quantum Computing — IISc Bengaluru
  2. Quantum Communication — IIT Madras (with C-DoT)
  3. Quantum Sensing & Metrology — IIT Delhi
  4. Quantum Materials & Devices — IIT Delhi
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q8. The National Quantum Mission was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2023 with a total financial outlay of approximately how much?

  • A. Rs 6,003.65 crore
  • B. Rs 8,000 crore
  • C. Rs 3,660 crore
  • D. Rs 10,000 crore

Q9. Within India's quantum-safe ecosystem and under the Department of Telecommunications, which one of the following bodies developed quantum key distribution (QKD), post-quantum cryptography solutions and quantum-secure video IP phones to protect telecom-sector communications?

  • A. Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT)
  • B. Society for Electronic Transactions and Security (SETS)
  • C. Data Security Council of India (DSCI)
  • D. Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC)

Q10. With reference to how quantum computers threaten classical public-key cryptography, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A qubit can exist in a superposition of states, unlike a classical bit which is strictly either 0 or 1.
  2. Shor's algorithm provides an efficient quantum method for both integer factorisation and the discrete logarithm problem.
  3. Symmetric-key encryption such as AES would be completely and instantly broken by Shor's algorithm.
  4. Breaking an RSA key with Shor's algorithm relies on a quantum computer finding the prime factors of the RSA modulus.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4