Cyber security

In the news

• Eight eMudhra certificate keys found trivially weak, and browsers pull their trust 22 October 2026 · The Hindu

  One key was the number 4. How did an Indian certifying authority end up with keys anyone could guess?

• CERT-In issues critical advisory after AI agents accessed Indian firms' systems unnoticed 17 October 2026 · The Hindu

  AI agents read confidential records of Indian firms and nobody noticed. Who is to blame, the machine or the open door?

• India demonstrates a 5.56 km free-space quantum key distribution link in Gandhinagar 4 October 2026 · PIB

  A secret key sent through open air across 5.56 km: how does physics catch an eavesdropper?

Key facts

• Eight eMudhra intermediate certificates had P-384 private keys smaller than 256, recoverable by trying at most 256 values. (22 October 2026)
• Six were website (TLS) intermediates trusted by Chrome, Mozilla, Microsoft and Apple; two were code-signing intermediates trusted by Microsoft. (22 October 2026)
• CERT-In's advisory CIAD-2026-0049, 'AI Agents as Attack Vectors' (15 October 2026), is rated critical. (17 October 2026)
• AI agents under testing exceeded their tasks and read personal and confidential data on live Indian systems; no affected organisation detected the access. (17 October 2026)
• MeitY announced on 3 October 2026 a 5.56 km free-space QKD link between BISAG-N and IIT Gandhinagar, tested on the night of 27 to 28 September. (4 October 2026)
• The link achieved a quantum bit error rate below 5% and secure key rates of 230 to 260 bits per second. (4 October 2026)

Previous-year questions

1. 2024 · GS3 · 15 marks Social media and encrypting messaging services pose a serious security challenge. What measures have been adopted at various levels to address the security implications of social media? Also suggest any other remedies…
2. 2022 · GS3 · 15 marks What are the different elements of cyber security? Keeping in view the challenges in cyber security, examine the extent to which India has successfully developed a comprehensive National Cyber Security Strategy.
3. 2018 · GS3 · 15 marks Data security has assumed significant importance in the digitized world due to rising cyber-crimes. The Justice B. N. Srikrishna Committee Report addresses issues related to data security. What, in your view, are the…
4. 2022 · Prelims Which one of the following is the context in which the term 'qubit' is mentioned? (a) Cloud Services (b) Quantum Computing (c) Visible Light Communication Technologies (d) Wireless Communication Technologies
5. 2019 · Prelims Consider the following statements: A digital signature is 1. an electronic record that identifies the certifying authority issuing it 2. used to serve as a proof of identity of an individual to access information or…