Srinagar, Aug 25: In a move to tighten cyber security across government departments, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has banned the use of pen drives on all official devices in the Civil Secretariat and Deputy Commissioner offices across districts.
The order, issued by the General Administration Department, comes amid rising concerns over data breaches, malware infections, and unauthorized access to sensitive information. “To enhance the cyber security posture of the Union Territory and safeguard official data, the use of pen drives stands prohibited with immediate effect,” the circular, a copy of which lies with Rising Kashmir reads.
The ban, however, provides a narrow exception. Departments with unavoidable operational needs may seek approval for controlled use of two to three pen drives, subject to whitelisting and security reconfiguration by the National Informatics Centre.
It also reads that each approved device will be authorized, registered, and linked to departmental ownership before use.
Instead, the administration has directed all departments to migrate to GovDrive, a secure, cloud-based storage platform developed for government officials. The platform offers every official 50 GB of encrypted storage, synchronized access across devices, and centralized monitoring. Detailed guidelines and a user manual have been circulated for immediate adoption.
Significantly, the circular also cracks down on the use of popular public platforms such as WhatsApp and unsecured web-based tools like iLovePDF for official communication or file processing.
The government has declared that handling sensitive documents, including ICT architecture diagrams, vulnerability assessments, IP addressing schemes, and strategic technology plans, must be done only through secure and approved channels, in line with directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs and CERT-In.
The government has warned that any violation will invite disciplinary action under rules governing official conduct and IT usage. “Failure to adhere to these instructions shall be viewed seriously,” it added.
