Uttarakhand Cybersecurity Review Post-Attack | 07 Oct 2024
Why in News?
Recently, Uttarakhand's data center was temporarily shut down due to a malware attack, prompting a cybersecurity review by the state's Chief Minister.
Key Points
- Cyberattack Incident:
- Malware attack temporarily closed down Uttarakhand's State Data Centre.
- Chief Minister held a review meeting with officials from key departments like Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA), National Informatics Centre (NIC), and police.
- CM ordered the creation of a cybersecurity task force for online services security.
- Proposed establishing a disaster recovery center for securing and recovering online data.
- Cybersecurity Enhancements:
- CM directed a security audit of the State Data Centre and online platforms.
- Instructed the study and implementation of best practices from other states, central ministries, and agencies in cybersecurity.
- Ordered a review of the ITDA's technical work and potential action if negligence is found.
- Personnel and Training:
- Directed filling of personnel vacancies in ITDA and provision of cybersecurity training to staff.
- Ensured updating of anti-virus systems in every government office to prevent future incidents.
- Damage Control:
- No data loss reported from the malware attack on virtual machines.
- Out of 1378 machines, 11 were affected.
- Sites like e-office and CM helpline have already been restored.
Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA)
- The Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA) is an independent and autonomous body under the Government of Uttarakhand.
- Its primary mission is to drive the growth of the Information Technology (IT) sector in Uttarakhand and to implement e-Governance projects across the state.
- ITDA provides IT-related inputs and support to government departments, promotes IT sector growth, facilitates IT human resource development, and encourages innovation in technology.
- Additionally, it undertakes tasks related to Information Technology enabled Services (ITeS), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and electronics.