Practicing Previous Year Questions (PYQs) is one of the most effective ways to ace your Cyber Security exams. To make your revision process smoother, we’ve compiled all the objective questions (Q1) from recent past papers, complete with options and correct answers.
Let’s dive in and test your knowledge!
2024: B.Tech 8th Semester Examination (S)
1. What is the primary goal of cybersecurity?
- (i) To hack systems
- (ii) To protect information and systems from cyber threats
- (iii) To delete sensitive data
- (iv) To monitor user activityAnswer: (ii) To protect information and systems from cyber threats
2. What does the term “phishing” refer to?
- (i) Sending emails to steal personal information
- (ii) Using malware to destroy systems
- (iii) A method of encrypting data
- (iv) A type of firewallAnswer: (i) Sending emails to steal personal information
3. What is malware?
- (i) A type of antivirus software
- (ii) A malicious software program
- (iii) A strong firewall
- (iv) An encrypted fileAnswer: (ii) A malicious software program
4. Which one of these is NOT a type of cyber-attack?
- (i) Denial of Service (DoS)
- (ii) SQL Injection
- (iii) SSL Encryption
- (iv) Man-in-the-Middle (MITM)Answer: (iii) SSL Encryption
5. What is the process of converting data into a coded form to prevent unauthorized access?
- (i) Decryption
- (ii) Encryption
- (iii) Authentication
- (iv) BackupAnswer: (ii) Encryption
6. Which of the following is NOT a security best practice?
- (i) Using strong passwords
- (ii) Sharing your passwords with trusted colleagues
- (iii) Regularly updating software
- (iv) Avoiding suspicious email linksAnswer: (ii) Sharing your passwords with trusted colleagues
7. What is a “botnet”?
- (i) A group of interconnected computers controlled by hackers
- (ii) A secure communication network
- (iii) A type of antivirus
- (iv) A firewall systemAnswer: (i) A group of interconnected computers controlled by hackers
8. What is a “DDoS” attack?
- (i) Direct Data Operation System
- (ii) Distributed Denial of Service
- (iii) Dual Device Overlap System
- (iv) Data Decryption Over ServiceAnswer: (ii) Distributed Denial of Service
9. What is the CIA triad in cybersecurity?
- (i) Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
- (ii) Communication, Information, Access
- (iii) Computing, Internet, Applications
- (iv) Control, Integration, AutomationAnswer: (i) Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
10. What is the importance of regular software updates? +1
- (i) To improve the appearance of files
- (ii) To fix bugs and security vulnerabilities
- (iii) To slow down the performance of software
- (iv) To increase the size of softwareAnswer: (ii) To fix bugs and security vulnerabilities
2024: B.Tech 7th Semester Examination
1. Which of the following is defined as an attempt to steal, spy, damage or destroy computer systems, networks, or their associated information?
- (i) Cyber-attack
- (ii) Computer security
- (iii) Cryptography
- (iv) Digital hackingAnswer: (i) Cyber-attack
2. Which of the following is a type of cyber security?
- (i) Cloud Security
- (ii) Network Security
- (iii) Application Security
- (iv) All of the aboveAnswer: (iv) All of the above
3. What does cyber security protect?
- (i) Cyber security protects criminals
- (ii) Cyber security protects internet-connected systems
- (iii) Cyber security protects hackers
- (iv) None of the mentionedAnswer: (ii) Cyber security protects internet-connected systems
4. Which of the following is a type of cyber-attack?
- (i) Phishing
- (ii) SQL Injections
- (iii) Password Attack
- (iv) All of the aboveAnswer: (iv) All of the above
5. Who is popularly known as the father of cyber security?
- (i) Bob Thomas
- (ii) August Kerckhoffs
- (iii) Robert
- (iv) CharlesAnswer: (i) Bob Thomas
6. What is a hybrid attack?
- (i) A coordinated cyber attack involving multiple attackers from different locations
- (ii) A type of malware that combines characteristics of different types of malware
- (iii) An attack that targets both physical and digital infrastructure simultaneously
- (iv) A technique used to bypass firewalls and gain unauthorized access to a networkAnswer: (ii) A type of malware that combines characteristics of different types of malware
7. What is a computer virus?
- (i) Malicious software that replicates itself and spreads to other computers
- (ii) A physical device that infects computers
- (iii) A type of hardware used to protect computers from malware
- (iv) An internet connection that spreads malwareAnswer: (i) Malicious software that replicates itself and spreads to other computers
8. Which of the following is not a common way for computer viruses to spread?
- (i) Email attachments
- (ii) Social media posts
- (iii) USB flash drives
- (iv) Phone callsAnswer: (iv) Phone calls
9. What is multi-factor authentication (MFA)?
- (i) A technique used to protect against DDoS attacks
- (ii) A method of verifying a user’s identity using multiple pieces of evidence
- (iii) A system that monitors network traffic for suspicious activities
- (iv) A process of securely deleting sensitive data from a storage deviceAnswer: (ii) A method of verifying a user’s identity using multiple pieces of evidence
10. What is the purpose of encryption?
- (i) To protect data from unauthorized access by converting it into a secret code
- (ii) To block unauthorized network connections to a computer or network
- (iii) To identify and remove malware from a system
- (iv) To back up data to an external storage deviceAnswer: (i) To protect data from unauthorized access by converting it into a secret code
2023: Special Examination
(Note: These questions largely overlap with the 2022 End Semester Exam)
1. Which of the following is not a type of cybercrime?
- (i) Data theft
- (ii) Forgery
- (iii) Damage to data and systems
- (iv) Installing antivirus for protectionAnswer: (iv) Installing antivirus for protection
2. Identify the element which is not considered in the triad, according to the CIA.
- (i) Availability
- (ii) Authenticity
- (iii) Integrity
- (iv) ConfidentialityAnswer: (ii) Authenticity
3. Authentication is _____________
- (i) To assure the identity of a user on a remote system
- (ii) Insertion
- (iii) Modification
- (iv) IntegrationAnswer: (i) To assure the identity of a user on a remote system
4. Digital Signature Certificate is _____________ requirement under various applications
- (i) Statutory
- (ii) Legislative
- (iii) Governmental
- (iv) VoluntaryAnswer: (i) Statutory
5. Which of the following is considered as the unsolicited commercial email?
- (i) Malware
- (ii) Spam
- (iii) Virus
- (iv) All of aboveAnswer: (ii) Spam
6. Under which section of IT Act, stealing any digital asset or information is written as cyber crime.
- (i) 65
- (ii) 65-D
- (iii) 67
- (iv) 70Answer: (i) 65
7. Which of the following DDoS is mobile systems wait for the owner to trigger the cyber-attack?
- (i) Botnets
- (ii) Programs
- (iii) Virus
- (iv) WormsAnswer: (i) Botnets
8. When information is modified in authorized ways, the result is known as _____________ (Note: This is likely a typo in the original question paper and should say “unauthorized ways”. The answer reflects a breach of integrity).
- (i) Loss of confidentiality
- (ii) Loss of integrity
- (iii) Loss of availability
- (iv) All of the aboveAnswer: (ii) Loss of integrity
9. Stuxnet is a _____________
- (i) Worm
- (ii) Virus
- (iii) Trojan
- (iv) AntivirusAnswer: (i) Worm
10. When there is an excessive amount of data flow, which the system cannot handle, _____________ attack takes place.
- (i) Database crash attack
- (ii) Dos (Denial of Service) attack
- (iii) Data overflow attack
- (iv) Buffer Overflow attackAnswer: (ii) Dos (Denial of Service) attack
2022: B.Tech 7th Semester Special Exam
1. The procedure to add bits to the last block is termed as
- (i) decryption
- (ii) hashing
- (iii) tuning
- (iv) paddingAnswer: (iv) padding
2. Message authentication code is also known as
- (i) key code
- (ii) hash code
- (iii) keyed hash function
- (iv) message key hash functionAnswer: (iii) keyed hash function
3. Suppose that everyone in a group of N people wants to communicate secretly with the N-1 others using symmetric key cryptographic system… The number of keys required in the system as a whole to satisfy the confidentiality requirement is
- (i) N(N-1)
- (ii) 2N
- (iii) (N-1)²
- (iv) N(N-1)/2Answer: (iv) N(N-1)/2
4. Which of the following is not an example of malware?
- (i) Browser
- (ii) Virus
- (iii) Worm
- (iv) Trojan HorseAnswer: (i) Browser
5. Which of the following is not a type of volatile evidence?
- (i) Routing tables
- (ii) Cached data
- (iii) Main memory
- (iv) Log filesAnswer: (iv) Log files
6. What is the most significant legal issue in computer forensics?
- (i) Preserving evidence
- (ii) Seizing evidence
- (iii) Admissibility of evidence
- (iv) Discovery of evidenceAnswer: (iii) Admissibility of evidence
7. ________ devices prevent altering data on drives attached to the suspect computer and also offer very fast acquisition speeds.
- (i) Encryption
- (ii) Imaging
- (iii) Write blocking
- (iv) HashingAnswer: (iii) Write blocking
8. Which of the following is not a step followed by cyber criminals in data breaching?
- (i) Exfiltration
- (ii) Research and info-gathering
- (iii) Attack the system
- (iv) Fixing the bugsAnswer: (iv) Fixing the bugs
9. Which of the following is not an email-related hacking tool?
- (i) Mail Password
- (ii) Email Finder Pro
- (iii) Mail Pass View
- (iv) SendincAnswer: (iv) Sendinc
2023: B.Tech 7th Semester Examination (Short Answer Objective)
Note: In the 2023 paper, Question 1 consisted of short-answer objective questions rather than multiple choice. Here are concise answers for your review: +1
- (a) What distinguishes DDOS attacks from DOS attacks? A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack uses multiple compromised systems (a botnet) to flood a target, whereas a DoS attack originates from a single source.
- (b) Define the CIA triad in cybersecurity. It stands for Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability—the core principles of information security.
- (c) What are the two primary applications of cryptography? Ensuring confidentiality (keeping data secret) and authentication/integrity (verifying identity and data accuracy).
- (d) What is network packet sniffing? The process of intercepting and logging traffic that passes over a digital network.
- (e) What is network session analysis? The monitoring and examination of active network connections (sessions) to detect malicious activity or anomalies.
- (f) Explain the concept of zombies in the context of malware attacks. A “zombie” is a computer connected to the internet that has been compromised by a hacker and can be used to perform malicious tasks (like a DDoS attack) under remote direction.
- (g) What steps can be taken to harden an operating system against potential security threats? Applying patches and updates, disabling unnecessary services, configuring strong firewalls, and enforcing strict access controls.
- (h) Why is it important to secure HTTP applications against cyber threats? Because HTTP transmits data in plaintext, making it vulnerable to eavesdropping and interception; securing it (via HTTPS) protects sensitive user data.
- (i) What is a partial volume image in cyber forensics? A forensic copy of only a specific partition or logical volume of a storage device, rather than the entire physical disk.
- (j) What is cyber evidence? Digital information or data (like log files, emails, or hard drive images) that can be used in an investigation or court of law to prove a cybercrime occurred.