Dehradun: The Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA) of the Government of Uttarakhand had recently organised a workshop for government officials highlighting “Recent Trends in Cyber Crime”. This was conducted under the direction of Nitesh Jha, IAS, Secretary (IT), Government of Uttarakhand.
More than 125 government officials attended the workshop in person at the CSI Auditorium, Dehradun. Another 50+ officials from different parts of Uttarakhand joined virtually via Zoom.
The workshop focused on improving the level of overall cyber hygiene and awareness among state Government officials. This, in turn, would strengthen the level of cyber resilience in Uttarakhand.
This workshop was an important part of ITDA’s Cyber Awareness Program. Uttarakhand has been facing cybersecurity challenges owing to a rise in cyber crimes as well as rapid implementation of e-governance initiatives across various departments. While technology has improved service delivery, it has also exposed different government departments to new cyber risks.
Gaurav Kumar, Director, ITDA, and Tirth Pal Singh, Additional Director, ITDA, set the context for the workshop by highlighting the urgency of cybersecurity preparedness in government systems. Cybersecurity must have strict protocols in the wake of cyber threats looming large across the Uttarakhand government sector. Establishing a strong cybersecurity culture is crucial, but implementing the necessary protocols effectively is even more important.
This was done precisely by Rahul Mishra, a renowned Cybersecurity Expert and Advisor to UP Police, who shared valuable insights on the latest cybercrime trends and mitigation strategies during his keynote address. The workshop also featured hands-on training and practical sessions designed to strengthen cybersecurity protocols and enhance incident response capabilities.
This included an informative session by Cyber Emergency Response Team (CERT–UK) team members—Shivam, Rajat, Rishab—and led by Ashish Upadhyay, AGM Cyber Security, ITDA. They presented Uttarakhand’s cyber initiatives and practical measures to secure the departmental IT infrastructure. The CERT-UK team was established to support different government departments in handling cyber incidents.
These sessions raised awareness about cybersecurity governance and risk management, as well as provided practical knowledge in network, cloud, and application security. Consequently, they trained participating officials in developing Cyber Crisis Management Plans (CCMP) while addressing identity and access management challenges.
The workshop concluded with an interactive Q&A session. The overall program reflected ITDA’s commitment to fostering a safe and resilient digital ecosystem in Uttarakhand.
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