Jammu, August 25, 2025 : The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday banned the use of pen drives on official devices in all administrative departments at the civil secretariat and deputy commissioners’ offices to strengthen cybersecurity measures.
According to an order issued by M Raju, Commissioner Secretary, General Administration Department (GAD), the move aims to safeguard sensitive information, prevent data breaches, and minimise risks of malware and unauthorised access.
The order also prohibits the use of public messaging apps like WhatsApp and unsecured online services such as iLovePDF for handling official or confidential documents.
In exceptional cases, departments may seek approval to whitelist up to two or three pen drives, subject to clearance from the National Informatics Centre (NIC). Approved devices must undergo reconfiguration, authorisation, and ownership registration before use.
As a secure alternative, the government has recommended the use of GovDrive, a cloud-based platform providing each official with 50 GB of secure storage and centralised access across devices.
The order further mandates that all sensitive technical information—including ICT architecture, system configurations, vulnerability reports, and strategic technology plans—be classified as confidential and handled only through approved secure channels, in line with directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, CERT-In, and departmental data policies.
It warned that non-compliance will invite disciplinary action under official conduct and IT usage rules. The directions take effect immediately.
“All departments must accord top priority to the implementation of these guidelines in the interest of secure and safe e-governance,” the order stated.
