A picture used for representative purposes. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/Istockphoto
To strengthen the cyber security on Monday (August 25, 2025), the Jamm and Kashmir government said it decided to ban the use of the pen on official facilities at all administrative departments in the Civic Secretariat and representatives of the commissioning agencies across districts.
Using publicly sending platforms such as WhatsApp or unsecured online services, such as IlovePDF for processing, sharing or storing official or intimate materials, it was also forbidden to observe the sovereignty and prevent security violations, the government order said.
The order issued by M. Raja, the Secretary of the Commissioner, the Ministry of the General Administration (GAD), stated that the decision to strengthen the posture of cyber security in the Union was adopted, protected sensitive government information and minimized the risk of data violation, malware infection and unauthorized approach.
“In exceptional cases where operational needs justify their use, controlled whitelisting can be allowed for up to 2-3 pens units in the department after formal requests proceeded through the relevant administrative head of the state computer officer (SIO), the National Information Center.
“After approval, the pen drive must be physically presented to the relevant cell for the reconfiguration, authorization and registration of ownership before use,” the command said.
As a safe alternative, the department was strongly recommended to adopt a govdrive-cloud, more rental platform offering any government official 50 GB of secure storage with centralized access and synchronization across devices.
The order also stated that all sensitive technical information, including Ictica architecture diagrams, system configurations, vulnerability evaluation, IP addressing systems and strategic technological plans, must be classified as confidential and processed solely through approved secure channels in accordance with the best information security procedures by the Ministry of Home, certification and classification.
“Failure to comply with these instructions will be considered seriously and may cause disciplinary measures according to the relevant rules governing official conduct, use and administrative liability,” the order said.
She also stated that the instructions were issued with the consent of the competent authority and would enter into force with immediate effect.
“All departments are recommended that the highest priority of implementing these instructions should be determined in the interests of safe and secure electronic administration,” she said.
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Published – August 25, 2025 14:59
