The Jammu and Kashmir government has banned the use of pen drives in all departments and also barred WhatsApp messaging service for official communications.
The decision has been taken amid fears of cyber security breach after recent cyberattacks during Operation Sindoor, India's counterstrike in response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives.
An order to this effect was issued today by M Raju, Commissioner Secretary, General Administration Department.
The government says the move is aimed at enhancing "the cyber security posture of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, protect sensitive government information, and minimise the risks of data breaches, malware infections, and unauthorised access".
"It has been decided to prohibit the use of pen drives on official devices across all Administrative Government Departments in Civil Secretariat Jammu and Srinagar, Deputy Commissioner Offices in all districts," reads the order.
The government has also "strictly prohibited" use of WhatsApp and other social media service platforms for any official communications in J&K.
"The use of public messaging platforms such as WhatsApp or unsecured online services like iLovePDF for processing, sharing, or storing official or confidential materials is strictly prohibited to uphold data sovereignty and prevent security breaches," says the order.
In Jammu and Kashmir, most of the official sites, including power sector, were targeted, and some are still struggling to be restored, during Operation Sindoor in May.
The cyberattacks affected public services and official functioning of various departments.
After Operation Sindoor, Union Minister for Power, Manohar Lal Khattar has said that there were two lakh cyberattacks on power sector in India.
"Two lakh cyberattacks on power system have taken place. All these attacks have been thwarted," Mr Khattar had said.
