Uttarakhand

• 07 Oct 2024

Uttarakhand Cybersecurity Review Post-Attack

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.