1.46 T-May 2017 Flashcards

Question

SECURITY AND DEFENCE | 25. WANNACRY RANSOMWARE

Answer 1

 It is a global cyberattack considered as the biggest ransomware attack of its kind infected more than 100000 computers all over the world in May, 2017  Ransomware is a type of malicious software when infected restricts the user access until a ransom is paid to unlock it  Hackers have spread ransomware known as WannaCry, WanaCrypt0r 2.0, WannaCry and WCry, often through emails. The country most affected by WannaCry is UK, where National Health Service trusts were impacted, causing widespread disruption to health services  CERT-IN in this context issued a “critical alert” and advised the installation of relevant “patches” to protect against any data breaches. PETYA RANSOMWARE  It is similar to the Wannacry ransomware and has infected computer servers across the world in June, 2017  In India, the ransomware has crippled the operations at one of the terminals of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust CERT-IN (INDIAN COMPUTER EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM)  CERT-In was established in January 2004  To enhance the security of India’s Communications and Information Infrastructure through proactive action and effective collaboration  It functions under Ministry of Information and communication Technology  The main function of CERT-In is to provide early security warning and effective incident response  It is aimed at catering to the needs of critical sectors, law enforcement & judiciary and e-governance project owners.  In the Information Technology (Amendment) Act 2008, CERT-In has been designated to perform several functions in the area of cyber security

Answer 2

 It’s a premier scientific agency under the National Security Adviser  It was set up in 2004.  It was originally known as the National Technical Facilities Organisation (NTFO), is highly specialized technical intelligence gathering agency.  The agency develops technology capabilities in aviation and remote sensing, data gathering and processing, cyber security, cryptology systems, strategic hardware and software development and strategic monitoring  Recently, it listed under the Intelligence Organizations (Restriction of Rights) Act, 1985 which aim to prevent leakage of information by intelligence agencies

Answer 3

 The 23rd CoP of UNFCCC was held from November 6 to 17, 2017 at Bonn, Germany  It was presided by Government of Fiji  It concluded with countries putting in place a roadmap for ‘Talanoa Dialogue’, a year-long process to assess countries’ progress on climate actions  The Conference also made progress on framing rules for implementing 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change and  It also brought rich nations on board on their pre-2020 commitments as demanded by developing nations. TALANOA DIALOGUE  It is a traditional approach used in Fiji and other Pacific islands to engage in an inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue to resolve differences without putting any blame on any one.  It is yearlong process which will help parties to UNFCCC review their actions and discuss way forward in terms of raising ambitions before 2020.  It will consider efforts of Parties on mitigation action and financial and technical support, as appropriate, as one of its elements, in the pre-2020 period under 1997 Kyoto Protocol UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE (UNFCCC)  It is an international treaty adapted in 1992 during the Earth summit  It’s a legally non-binding agreement and did not contain any enforcement mechanism  Objective: stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in atmosphere at such a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.  It outlined that after successful negotiations, the specific protocols of this treaty would set legally binding targets for all the parties to this convention.  The Kyoto protocol was thus later adopted as a legally binding instrument to this treaty CONFERENCE OF PARTIES (COP)  COP is the supreme decision-making body of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).  All States that are Parties to UNFCCC are represented at COP.  At COP, all parties review implementation of Convention and take decisions necessary to promote the effective implementation of Convention  First such conference was held in 1995 at Berlin in Germany.  Major COPs - Outcomes o COP-3 (1997) at Kyoto, Japan - Kyoto Protocol was adopted o COP-7 (2001) at Marrakech, Morocco - Establishment of Adaptation Fund o COP-16 (2010) at Cancun, Mexico - Announcement Green Climate Fund o COP-21 (2015) at Paris, France - Adoption of the Paris Agreement o COP-24 at Katowice, Poland in December, 2018 PARIS AGREEMENT  The Paris Agreement on climate change is a legally-binding climate deal  It sets out a global action plan to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature rise to 1.5°C.  It entered into force on 4 November 2016  195 UNFCCC Parties have signed the Agreement and 169 have ratified it so far

Answer 4

 It is celebrated every year on 22nd May  The date commemorates the date of Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity at UNEP Headquarters, Nairobi on 22 May 1992  Earlier it was celebrated on December 29.  2017 Theme: Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism

Answer 5

 Recently Cyclone Mora affected Sri Lanka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bangladesh, Myanmar etc.  This is second cyclone in the Bay of Bengal after Cyclone Maarutha TROPICAL CYCLONES  A cyclone represents a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters  It is characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high winds, and heavy rain  Based on their latitude, the cyclones may be tropical cyclones or temperate cyclones  The tropical cyclones rotate anti-clockwise in the northern hemisphere  Conditions for formation of cyclones, o High ocean surface temperature i.e., 26.5 °C or warmer o A pre-existing atmospheric circulation must be located near the surface warm layer o The atmosphere must cool quickly enough with height to support the formation of deep convective clouds o The middle atmosphere must be relatively humid at a height of about 5,000 metres above the surface. o The developing system must be at least 500 km away from the Equator etc.

Answer 6

 The Rajasthan government has decided to set up a captive breeding centre for the great Indian bustard ABOUT GIB  It is listed as critically endangered in IUCN Red List  It also listed in schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972  Once it was found in large number across the grasslands of India and Pakistan  But, now it is restricted to small and isolated fragments in three Indian western states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.  Threats: Hunting, destruction of its habitat, lack of policy to protect ‘lekking’ and nesting sites, lack of awareness and support from local communities

Answer 7

 The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) is the first zoo in India to have a conservation breeding centre for the endangered wild dog. ABOUT DHOLE  It is also called as Asiatic wild dog or Indian wild dog  The highly social and cooperative animal lives in large clans which occasionally split up into small packs to hunt.  Classified as an endangered species by the IUCN  In India, the Dholes are protected under Schedule 2 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.  Threats: habitat loss, depletion of its prey base, competition from other predators, persecution and possibly diseases from domestic and feral dogs WILDLIFE (PROTECTION) ACT, 1972  It is first umbrella act to protect plants and animals  Amended in 2003 and 2006  The act extends to the whole of India, except the State of Jammu and Kashmir which has its own wildlife act.  It provides for prohibition on use of animal traps except under certain circumstances  It provides for protection of hunting rights of the Scheduled Tribes in Andaman and Nicobar Islands  The act constitutes a National Board for Wildlife  It defines five types of protected areas viz. National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Community Reserves, Conservation Reserves and Tiger Reserves.  The act has six schedules with varying degrees of protection to different kinds of animals and plants. SIX SCHEDULES OF THE ACT  Schedule I and part II of Schedule II - provide absolute protection and offences under these are prescribed the highest penalties.  Schedule III and Schedule IV – Though penalties are less, animals are protected by these schedules.  Schedule V - Includes the animals which may be hunted. o Viz., Common crow, Fruit bats, Mice & Rats only.  Schedule VI - It contains the following plants, which are prohibited from cultivation and planting. o Beddomes’ cycad (Critically Endangered) o Blue Vanda o Kuth o Ladies slipper orchids o Pitcher plant o Red Vanda  According to National Board of Wild Life guideline only the chief wildlife warden of a state can permit hunting of man-eaters. TIGER RESERVES  These are declared and managed by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) via Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006  The 2006 amendment gave statutory status to Project Tiger  To declare an area as Tiger Reserve, the state governments can forward their proposals in this regard to NTCA.  Central Government via NTCA may also advise the state governments to forward a proposal for creation of Tiger Reserves.  No alternation of boundary can be done without the recommendation of National Board for Wild Life and without the advice of the Tiger Conservation Authority. WILD LIFE SANCTUARY  It is defined by state Government via a notification and no need of enactment of a law  Fixation and alternation of boundary can be done by state legislature via resolution with prior approval of NBWL  Limited human activities are permitted in the sanctuary NATIONAL PARKS  It is defined by state government via notification.  The state government can fix and alter boundaries of the National Parks with prior consultation and approval with National Board of Wildlife.  No human activities are permitted in a National Park CONSERVATION RESERVES  The State Government after consultations with local communities can declare any area owned by the Government  The government constitutes a Conservation Reserve Management Committee to manage and conserve the conservation reserve. COMMUNITY RESERVES  The State Government can, in consultation with the community or an individual who have volunteered to conserve wildlife, declare any private or community land as community reserve  A Community Reserve Management Committee shall be constituted by State Government for conserving and managing the reserve. WILDLIFE CRIME CONTROL BUREAU (WCCB)  It is statutory multi-disciplinary body under the MoEFCC to combat organized wildlife crime in the country  It was established in 2007 by amending the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972  Headquarter: New Delhi NATIONAL BOARD FOR WILDLIFE  It is a statutory body constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.  The board advises the Central Government on framing policies and measures for conservation of wildlife in the country.  It serves as apex body to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries  Chairman of NBFW: Prime Minister of India  Vice chairman: Minister of Environment.  Primary function of the Board is to promote the conservation and development of wildlife and forests  It has power to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries.  No alternation of boundaries in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries can be done without approval of the NBWL

Answer 8

 It is a rare species of lily  It was rediscovered in the western Nilgiris after a gap of 84 years  It is scientifically known as Arisaematranslucenshas  One species of the lilies were found in Thia Shola while the other was spotted in the Pennant Valley forest area of the Nilgiris  The cobra lilies have a distinctive translucent spathe, using bloom of which the indigenous Toda tribe is capable of predicting the early arrival of monsoon  The Toda tribe has an embroidery motif called ‘podwarshk’ resembling the cobra lilies.  Only a few hundred cobra lily plants are found in the wild in a very small area measuring less than 10 square kilometres in the Nilgiris.  These lilies are found in shola tree patches.  Threat: Disappearance of the Shola tree patches, commercial trade in exotic plants

Answer 9

 Recently, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) has successfully rehabilitated Indian star tortoises seized from smugglers  Thus, it become only rehabilitation centre for star tortoises in the country ABOUT THE INDIAN STAR TORTOISES  It is found in dry areas and scrub forest of India and Sri Lanka.  Treat: Exotic pet trade, habitat destruction  IUCN status: Vulnerable  Included in Appendix II CITES to regulate its trade  In India, they have been included in Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 CHINNAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY  It is a located in the rain shadow region in the eastern slope of Western Ghats in Idukki in Kerala.  The area is diverse in eco systems and rich in ethnic cultural heritage.  It is a well-known repository of medicinal plants.  It supports a population of grizzled giant squirrel, star tortoise, tufted grey langur, gaur, spotted deer, slender Loris, wild elephant, crocodile, tiger, leopard and many a birds, insects and plants.

Answer 10

 It is launched by the Department of Telecommunications.  It is a web portal that will allow tracking of radiation emitted from mobile towers within their locality and check for their compliance with the Electromagnetic field (EMF) emission norms  The web portal is aimed at myths and misconceptions about mobile towers and emissions from them

Answer 11

 It is an indigenous vaccine for leprosy, developed by National Institute of Immunology  This vaccine is to be administered to those living in close contact with infected people.  It is also the first vaccine on leprosy and has shown capability to bring down cases by 60% in next three years.  With the launch of this vaccine, a software called Nikusth was also launched to keep track on leprosy patients in the country  MIP is now being introduced into the National Leprosy Elimination Programme (NLEP) LEPROSY  It is caused by a slow-growing type of bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae  The bacterium has a long incubation period  The disease affects nerve endings and destroys the body’s ability to feel pain and injury.  It mainly affects skin and peripheral nervous system.  It is curable with multidrug therapy (MDT).  The World Leprosy Day is observed internationally every year on last Sunday of January month to raise global awareness of Leprosy NATIONAL LEPROSY ERADICATION PROGRAMME  The National Leprosy Control Programme started in 1955 based on “Daps one” immunotherapy.  The Programme was re-designated the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) in 1983 based on Multi Drug Therapy  The programme has been integrated with NRHM

Answer 12

 It is an inter-ministerial and interdisciplinary project aims to explore and harness mineral resources beneath the ocean floor.  It is set be launched in early 2018 by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)  It will also involve the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Biotechnology.  Major components of the project are deep ocean energy, desalination plant along the Chennai coast, deep sea science and fisheries, minerals and polymetallic nodules.  The exclusive economic zone allotted to India will be covered under the mission

Answer 13

 It is a noble small molecule, designed and synthesised by Indian researchers, has shown promise in targeted killing of cancer cells.  It works by binding itself to a protein called BCL2, which suppresses death of cancerous cells.  While BCL2 protein is produced in excess in cancer cells, its expression is almost undetectable in normal cells.  Hence, Disarib targets and kills only cancer cells while sparing normal cells

Answer 14

 Also, called as Lunar Palace, it is a Chinese research facility for developing a moon base  It is an environmentally closed facility where occupants can simulate a long-duration self-contained mission with no outside inputs other than power/energy

Answer 15

 Recently, astronomers have created the first map of the large-scale structure of the universe based entirely on the positions of quasars. ABOUT QUASARS  These are the bright and distant points of light powered by super-massive black holes.  Quasars are so bright and can be seen all the way across the universe. This makes them the ideal objects to use to make the biggest map yet.  The brightness of quasars is due to the supermassive black holes found at their centres.  Visible light, ultraviolet rays, infrared waves, X-rays, and gamma-rays are emitted by these objects.

Answer 16

 Electronic vaccine intelligence network (eVIN) is an indigenously developed technology system in India that digitises vaccine stocks and monitors the temperature of the cold chain through a smartphone application.  It is a project of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare  It is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)  By streamlining vaccine flow network, it strengths health systems by easy and timely availability of vaccines

Answer 17

 It was conducted by Quality Council of India in 434 cities and towns to monitor the progress of the Swachh Bharat Mission  Cleanest city - Indore, Madhya Pradesh  Dirtiest city: Gonda in Uttar Pradesh  Top 10: Indore (1), Bhopal (2), Visakhapatnam (3), Surat (4), Mysuru (5), Tiruchirapally (6), New Delhi (7), Navi Mumbai (8), Tirupati (9), Vadodara (10)

Answer 18

 Recently, It has been granted to Banganapalle Mango and Bandar Laddu, both belonging to Andhra Pradesh

Answer 19

 It is released by Public Affairs Centre (PAC), Bengaluru  It is a not for profit think tank which aims to improve the governance in India.  The survey has been based on 10 themes, 26 focus subjects and 82 indicators  Kerala and Tamil Nadu have secured first and second rankings, followed by Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra in governance indicators  The last four positions among the large states has been occupied by Bihar (18th), Jharkhand (17th), Odisha (16th) and Assam (15th)

Answer 20

 It has been released by the Centre for Equity Studies (CES)  It reviews exclusion with respect to four public goods: pensions for the elderly, digital access, agricultural land, and legal justice for under trials  It also profiles four highly vulnerable groups in terms of their access to these goods  According to report , in terms of exclusion from access to public goods, Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims continue to remain the worst-hit communities

Answer 21

 Every year, May 31 marks the World No Tobacco Day  It has been designated by the WHO  This day promotes and encourages abstinence from any sort of tobacco products

Answer 22

 It was launched on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day (May 3) which is recognised by the UNGA  India is ranked 136 (133 in 2016)  Norway is at the top and North Korea at the bottom of the 180-strong list of nations.  China has acquired 176th position among 180 nations and is described as the “world’s leading prison for citizen journalists  The report highlights the danger of a tipping point in the state of media freedom, especially in leading democratic countries.  The obsession with surveillance and violations of the right to the confidentiality of sources have contributed to the continuing decline of many countries previously regarded as virtuous WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX  The Report is published annually by Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontiers) since 2002  The WPFI ranks the performance of countries according to index calculated based upon various parameters.  These parameters include media pluralism and independence, respect for the safety and freedom of journalists, and the legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which the media operate.  WPFI aims to promote and defends freedom of information and freedom of the press

1.46 T-May 2017 Flashcards

(46 cards)