ICS456: ESSENTIALS FOR NERC CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION COMPLETE COLLECTION OF EXAM QUESTIONS WITH ACCURATE ANSWERS

1. What is the primary purpose of NERC CIP standards?

A. Increase power generation efficiency
B. Protect Bulk Electric System cyber assets
C. Regulate electricity pricing
D. Control environmental impact

ANSWER : B
Explanation: NERC CIP standards are designed to protect Critical Cyber
Assets that support the Bulk Electric System (BES) from cyber threats.



2. Which organization enforces NERC CIP compliance in North America?

A. IEEE
B. DHS
C. FERC
D. ISO

ANSWER : C
Explanation: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
approves and enforces NERC reliability standards, including CIP.



3. What does BES stand for?

A. Basic Energy System
B. Bulk Electric System
C. Backup Electrical Supply
D. Binary Energy Structure

,ANSWER : B
Explanation: BES refers to the Bulk Electric System, which includes facilities
necessary for operating the interconnected electric grid.



4. Which CIP standard focuses on identifying cyber systems?

A. CIP-002
B. CIP-004
C. CIP-007
D. CIP-010

ANSWER : A
Explanation: CIP-002 requires entities to identify and categorize BES Cyber
Systems based on impact.



5. What are the three impact ratings under CIP-002?

A. Low, Medium, High
B. Minor, Major, Critical
C. Internal, External, Shared
D. Local, Regional, National

ANSWER : A
Explanation: BES Cyber Systems are categorized as Low, Medium, or High
Impact.



6. Which standard addresses personnel training and risk assessment?

A. CIP-003
B. CIP-004
C. CIP-006
D. CIP-009

ANSWER : B
Explanation: CIP-004 covers personnel & training, including background
checks and security awareness.

,7. What is a BES Cyber Asset?

A. Any IT system in a utility
B. Cyber assets essential to BES operations
C. Financial management software
D. Customer billing systems

ANSWER : B
Explanation: A BES Cyber Asset is a cyber system that supports reliable
operation of the BES.



8. Which CIP standard focuses on physical security?

A. CIP-005
B. CIP-006
C. CIP-007
D. CIP-011

ANSWER : B
Explanation: CIP-006 addresses physical security of BES Cyber Systems.



9. What is the primary goal of CIP-005?

A. Incident response
B. Electronic security perimeter protection
C. Configuration management
D. Data protection

ANSWER : B
Explanation: CIP-005 establishes and protects the Electronic Security
Perimeter (ESP).



10. Which device is commonly used to protect an ESP?

A. Router
B. Firewall
C. Switch
D. Modem

, ANSWER : B
Explanation: Firewalls control and monitor traffic entering or leaving the ESP.



11. What does CIP-007 primarily address?

A. Change management
B. System security management
C. Disaster recovery
D. Vendor risk

ANSWER : B
Explanation: CIP-007 focuses on patching, malware protection, and system
hardening.



12. What is malware?

A. Hardware failure
B. Unauthorized physical access
C. Malicious software
D. Data backup

ANSWER : C
Explanation: Malware includes viruses, worms, ransomware, and other
harmful software.



13. Which CIP standard covers incident reporting and response?

A. CIP-008
B. CIP-010
C. CIP-011
D. CIP-013

ANSWER : A
Explanation: CIP-008 requires documented Cyber Security Incident
Response Plans.



14. What is a Cyber Security Incident?