J&K Admn prohibits unauthorised access to sensitive information in e-office
STATE TIMES NEWS
Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday prohibited all officials working on the e-office platform from accessing any sensitive data for which they do not have explicit authorisation from the competent authority.
In a circular issued by the general administration department, Commissioner-Secretary Sanjeev Verma said unauthorised access to sensitive data is a breach of the extant Information Technology (IT) rules.
“All officers/officials working on the e-office platform are, as such, strictly prohibited from accessing any sensitive data for which they do not have explicit authorisation from the designated/competent authority.
“Any instance of unauthorised access shall be liable for disciplinary as well as penal action under the relevant provisions of law,” Verma said.
He said the Jammu and Kashmir administration has implemented e-office across all offices for an efficient conduct of government business and it was felt necessary to prohibit unauthorised personnel from accessing data from e-office files to maintain the security and confidentiality of sensitive official information, besides ensuring compliance with data-protection regulations.
“Unauthorised access includes, but is not limited to, viewing, copying, sharing or disseminating such data without proper clearance,” the circular read.
The commissioner-secretary directed all departments to conduct audit trails to determine sensitive events and pattern analysis to indicate possible fraudulent use or unauthorised access to the system data and proceed in terms of the extant legal provisions against such breach of access.
The departments were also advised to ensure that officials who have been transferred out of the secretariat or who left their respective departments and no longer need access to e-office shall not get the privilege of any access to their previous accounts.
“To ensure this, all departments shall notify the information technology department about all such personnel within a day. The information technology department shall immediately proceed to bar such officers/officials from accessing e-office from their previous offices/places of posting in the secretariat and/or other organisations,” Verma said.
He said all departments shall designate a nodal officer for liaisoning with the IT department in the future with regard to such officials whose accounts need to be closed due to their transfer or superannuation, so that their accounts are closed or suspended on time.
The information technology department shall further institute procedures for user account management, data resource protection and sensitive system protection, in line with the extant Act positively within a week, the circular said, adding that it shall also submit monthly reports regarding unauthorised access, if any, to the general administration department.
