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UPPCS Science & Technology Gap Sheet: Internet, cyber security and Digital India.
UPPCS has asked 10 of these. 28 have not been asked yet. Lock the first list, then read the second: it holds what UPPCS has not used yet.
First, the concept
The internet is a network of networks; the Web is one service that uses it. Network devices, addresses and protocols each perform a different job.
Cyber security protects confidentiality, integrity and availability. Digital public systems have distinct jobs: Aadhaar identifies residents, UPI transfers money and DigiLocker provides document access.
✅ Already asked (10)
Networks and devices
- Modem · Modulator-demodulator; adapts signals for transmission over a communication link.
- Bluetooth · Short-range wireless communication between devices.
- Li-Fi · Light Fidelity; wireless data transmission using light, not a fibre cable to the user.
- OSI data link layer · Second OSI layer, between physical and network layers.
Web and addressing
- WWW · World Wide Web; linked resources accessed through web browsers.
- HTTPS · HTTP secured with TLS; protects data in transit but does not prove a website's claims are true.
- Email protocols · SMTP sends email; IMAP and POP3 are used for receiving or accessing email.
- ICT · Information and Communication Technology.
Identity and payments
- NPCI · National Payments Corporation of India; operates retail payment systems including UPI and RuPay.
Digital access and infrastructure
- Cloud computing · On-demand access to shared computing resources over a network.
❌ Not asked yet (28)
Items marked 'asked in other exams' have come in UPSC or other state exams, not yet in UPPCS.
Networks and devices
- LAN and WAN · Local Area Network covers a limited area; Wide Area Network connects over larger distances. asked in other exams
- Router · Forwards packets between networks using network addresses. asked in other exams
- Switch · Connects devices in a local network; ordinary Ethernet switches forward frames using MAC addresses. asked in other exams
- TCP and UDP · TCP provides ordered, reliable delivery; UDP does not guarantee delivery or order. asked in other exams
Web and addressing
- URL · Uniform Resource Locator; specifies a resource's address and access scheme. asked in other exams
- DNS · Domain Name System; resolves domain names to addresses such as IP addresses. asked in other exams
- IPv4 and IPv6 · IPv4 addresses have 32 bits; IPv6 addresses have 128 bits.
Threats and protection
- Phishing · Deceptive messages or websites trick users into revealing sensitive information. asked in other exams
- Computer worm · Self-replicating malware that can spread across networks without attaching to a host file. asked in other exams
- Trojan horse · Malware disguised as legitimate software. asked in other exams
- Digital signature · Uses asymmetric cryptography to help verify the signer and detect changes to signed data. asked in other exams
- Ransomware · Malware that blocks access or encrypts data and demands payment.
- Firewall · Filters network traffic according to security rules.
- Multi-factor authentication · Uses different factor types, such as a password and a possession-based token.
- CERT-In · Indian Computer Emergency Response Team; national cyber incident response agency under MeitY.
Identity and payments
- Aadhaar · A 12-digit identity number issued by UIDAI to residents; not proof of citizenship. asked in other exams
- UIDAI · Unique Identification Authority of India; statutory authority under the Aadhaar Act, 2016. asked in other exams
- UPI · Unified Payments Interface; NPCI's instant bank-account payment system. asked in other exams
- BHIM · Bharat Interface for Money; a UPI-based payment application. asked in other exams
- DigiLocker · Digital platform for accessing and sharing electronic documents from participating issuers. asked in other exams
- RuPay · Indian card-payment network operated by NPCI.
- UMANG · Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance; access to multiple government services.
- UPI PIN safety · A UPI PIN authorises a debit; it is not needed simply to receive money.
Digital access and infrastructure
- Digital India · Programme launched in 2015 for digital infrastructure, services and empowerment. asked in other exams
- Government e-Marketplace · GeM is an online platform for public procurement of goods and services. asked in other exams
- BharatNet · Broadband infrastructure programme to connect gram panchayats.
- Common Service Centres · Local access points for digital public and other services.
- India Stack · A set of digital public infrastructure building blocks and APIs for identity, payments and data exchange.
⚠️ HTTPS protects a connection; a fraudulent site can also use HTTPS. A digital signature is not a scanned handwritten signature.
'Asked' and 'not asked' are checked against every UPPCS question on this site. 'Not asked yet' does not mean it will surely come.