Describe the motivations behind state and non-state actors’ targeting of the Critical Information Infrastructure (CII). Talk about the measures the Indian government took to protect their CII as well.
Model Answer High-altitude pseudo-satellites (HAPS) are UAVs capable of flying at an altitude of around 20 km, primarily powered by solar energy, and can remain airborne for extended periods. This innovative technology aims to address limitations faced by conventional UAVs and satellites. AdvantagesRead more
Model Answer
High-altitude pseudo-satellites (HAPS) are UAVs capable of flying at an altitude of around 20 km, primarily powered by solar energy, and can remain airborne for extended periods. This innovative technology aims to address limitations faced by conventional UAVs and satellites.
Advantages of HAPS over UAVs
- Solar Power for Extended Duration: Unlike traditional UAVs, which are limited by battery life, HAPS can operate for months due to their solar-powered systems. This allows for continuous monitoring without frequent recharging, unlike UAVs that can only function for a few hours at a time.
- Higher Altitude and Wider Coverage: HAPS operate in the stratosphere, providing a much larger coverage area compared to UAVs that fly at lower altitudes. This increased altitude allows for enhanced surveillance and monitoring of vast areas.
Advantages of HAPS over Satellites
- Stationary Operation for Continuous Monitoring: Unlike satellites that move across the sky, HAPS remain almost stationary, offering continuous coverage of specific areas. This is especially useful for disaster management and border surveillance.
- Lower Cost and Flexibility: Deploying satellites involves high costs, including rocket launches. In contrast, HAPS are cost-effective and can be redeployed to different locations or re-equipped with different payloads, making them more flexible than satellites.
Challenges in HAPS Development
- Solar Power Limitations: Generating sufficient solar power is a significant challenge. The need for continuous power generation to keep the aircraft and payloads operating, especially at night, remains a hurdle. The inconsistent power generation during the night is a critical issue.
- Design Challenges: Maintaining the lightweight structure of the aircraft while ensuring stability and power efficiency is difficult, as lightweight designs are essential for minimizing power consumption.
- Environmental Constraints: Operating at high altitudes, HAPS face extreme temperatures, potentially as low as -50°C. Additionally, the lower air density at this height complicates the aircraft’s ability to generate lift and thrust, further challenging their viability.
Conclusion
While HAPS offer promising solutions to the limitations of UAVs and satellites, technological and environmental challenges need to be overcome for their widespread adoption. India’s early entry into HAPS development presents opportunities for innovation, capacity building, and market leadership in this emerging field.
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According to Information Technology Act, 2000, Critical Information Infrastructures (CII) are vital computer resources that, if incapacitated or destroyed, will leave a debilitating impact on national security, economy, public health or safety across both public and private sectors. Their significanRead more
According to Information Technology Act, 2000, Critical Information Infrastructures (CII) are vital computer resources that, if incapacitated or destroyed, will leave a debilitating impact on national security, economy, public health or safety across both public and private sectors. Their significance is well understood and hence they are also target of attacks by adversarial state and non-state actors. Broadly such attacks lead to information system compromise, control takeover, component destruction, and sensitive information extraction.
Reasons behind targeting of Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) by state and non-state actors
Challenges in protecting the CIIs
Steps taken by Govt to protect Critical information infrastructure
There is a requirement for better understanding of vulnerabilities, including interdependencies between infrastructures. Hence, we need to evolve a comprehensive security policy to address the physical, legal, cyber and human dimensions of security.
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