Topic: basics of cyber security;
5. What is cyber-warfare? Evaluate India’s preparedness in responding to cyber-warfare threats. (250 words)
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Indian Express , Insights on India
Why the question:
The probe into the cyberattack on some servers at AIIMS in the national capital has found that the IP addresses of two emails, which were identified from the headers of files that were encrypted by the hackers, originated from Hong Kong and China’s.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about cyber warfare and India’s preparedness in tackling cyber warfare challenges.
Directive word:
Evaluate – When you are asked to evaluate, you have to pass a sound judgement about the truth of the given statement in the question or the topic based on evidence. You must appraise the worth of the statement in question. There is scope for forming an opinion here.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by defining cyber-warfare.
Body:
In the first part, mention the various kinds of cyber weapons – Viruses, phishing, computer worms and malware, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, hacking, spyware or cyber espionage, ransomware and propaganda or disinformation campaigns etc.
Next, write about the various mechanisms and organisation to deal with cyber-warfare. Write about their strengths and limitations.
Next, write about vulnerabilities of India to cyber warfare.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward to overcome the above-mentioned vulnerabilities.
