New Delhi: Fearing hacking and theft of sensitive data, the government has put “restrictions” on use of smartphones by bureaucrats in all central ministries and departments.
The government has reportedly instructed bureaucrats that smartphones should be used only as a last resort and in emergency situations to discuss sensitive official work.
Officials of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and central paramilitary forces were asked to stick to face-to-face meetings or use RAX (a closed communication network connecting government offices) during a recent two-day session on cyber security, reported Times of India.
Later, same instructions were passed on to officials of defence, external affairs and other sensitive ministries.
India faces high level of cyber threat from Pakistani and Chinese hackers. A recent study by a US cybersecurity firm suggested that suspected Pakistan-based cyberespionage hackers have been posing as Indian media officials in efforts to compromise the computer systems of several Indian government officials.
But considering low security and frequent downloads on smartphones, mobile devices are considered more vulnerable to cyber threat.
