Types of Cyber Attacks — Prelims Strategy

Prelims Strategy

Focus on memorizing specific legal provisions (IT Act sections 43, 66, 69, 70) with exact penalties and scope. Create attack type classification charts covering technical methods, targets, and examples.

Emphasize recent incidents with dates, affected organizations, and response measures - AIIMS 2022, debit card breach 2016, Cosmos Bank 2018. Practice elimination techniques by understanding attack characteristics: persistence (APTs), financial motivation (ransomware), human targeting (social engineering).

Master institutional roles: CERT-In for incident response, NCIIPC for critical infrastructure, MeitY for policy. Focus on current affairs connections, particularly state-sponsored attacks during geopolitical tensions.

Use mnemonics for attack types: SHIELD framework (Social, Hardware, Insider, External, Logic, Data). Practice questions testing legal provisions application to specific attack scenarios.