Srinagar, May 21: Jammu and Kashmir government has issued an advisory for the safety of its digital data and communication.
The J&K administration has released a comprehensive circular directing its departments and officials to adopt standard cybersecurity practices and discontinue unauthorised digital platforms.
The directive comes days after the Maharashtra Cyber cell reported 15 lakh cyber attacks across the country during Operation Sindoor in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22.
Over the last few days, consumers in Jammu and Kashmir have been complaining about disruptions in several online services and applications that have affected bill payments and revenue services. Even the e-office of the government has been functioning partially. Officials have attributed the digital outage to technical glitches in billing applications and also preventive measures in place owing to the threat.
The government said that this cybersecurity is meant to ensure strict compliance with IT governance protocols of the government so as to keep all the digital data and records safe from hacktivists. The circular was issued after the Chief Secretary of J&K, Atal Dullo held an elaborate meeting with top officials about preventing cyber attacks.
As per reports, the government has directed the immediate deactivation of all private departmental websites operating on domains such as “.com”, “.org”, or “.net”. All government websites must now be hosted only on authenticated domains like “.gov.in” or “.jk.gov.in“. Moreover, it said that future proposals for new websites must be routed through the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and approved by the IT Department. Apart, the government has mandated the exclusive use of official NIC email IDs for all forms of government communication. Not just this, the government has also banned pirated or outdated software.
“Any emails sent from non-official domains like Gmail, Yahoo, or Rediffmail will be considered unofficial and may not be acted upon,” the circular said.
The government has also ordered a comprehensive IT infrastructure audit by designated Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and Information Security Officers (ISOs) across departments. “This includes an inventory of hardware/software, verification of licensed systems, firewall/antivirus status, and network security configurations. A uniform reporting format will be shared by the IT Department,” it said.
The J&K government has also asked the NIC to organise cyber hygiene and threat response training for IT officials in different departments. The sessions will cover cyber safety, configuration of email systems, incident reporting, and CERT-In guidelines.
“These sweeping reforms mark a pivotal step toward secure, transparent, and policy-compliant e-governance in Jammu and Kashmir,” it said.