Thiruvananthapuram: As part of securing the state data centres from cyber attacks, the state government is setting up security operation centres (SOC) at the two state data centres for 24X7 monitoring against hacking attempts. The IT department is also chalking out a two-pronged strategy on enhancing the security of the e-governance applications as well as the state's cyber security capabilities.
The recent hacking of the state government's official portal, www.kerala.gov.in, has prompted the government to take swift measures to review the security of the 500-odd e-governance applications of the state. The government is also seeking the services of cyber security experts in the private sector.
Kerala State IT Mission director Mohammed Safirulla told Deccan Chronicle that the SOCs would keep on monitoring any hacking attempts on the state's two data centre, one at Coop-bank Towers in the state capital and the new one at Technopark here.
The cyber experts at the centre would continuously review the security vulnerability and plug loopholes.
SOCs would be equipped with advanced cyber security tools. “The SOCs will be coordinating with cyber security teams of other states as well as the Computer Emergency Response Team - India for sharing information. In case of any cyber attacks on any government websites in any part of the country, the internet protocol (IP) addresses from which such attacks came could be passed on to the SOC so that the cyber experts could maintain a vigil against attacks from those IPs,” said Mr. Safirulla. The SOCs would come up in another three to four months.
Meanwhile, immediate steps like security audit and upgradation of the Joomla platform on which most of the government applications are done are progressing. “We will have to enhance the number of cyber experts. At present there are only six. The number would have to be increased as more e-governance applications are being launched, said Mr. Safirullah.
IT department to be renamed
The state government has decided to rename the Information Technology department as Electronics and Information Technology Department. The decision was taken in view of the emphasis being given on the electronic sector.
According to a government order, there has been a boom in the electronic sector and the centre is also initiating various schemes in the electronic manufacturing sector like setting up of electronic manufacturing parks. Two electronic manufacturing parks were allotted to Kerala.
There is huge potential for massive investments and job generation in the field.
Considering these facts, the IT department suggested that renaming the department as Electronics and Information Technolo-gy would help give more emphasis to development activities in the electronic sector also, said the government order issued by IT principal secretary P H Kurian.
