No external memory device to be plugged into govt computers, says MHA notification

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Narendra Modi government at the centre has issued stringent guidelines for its departments, making security screening of personnel outsourced from elsewhere mandatory while encouraging officials to avoid confidential work on computers with net connection, reports PTI.

The guidelines issued by the ministry of home affairs last week, according to the report, say that the external memory devices must not be connected to the USB drives on these computers and that misuse of photocopying machines should be prevented.

It’s believed that the infamous corporate espionage involving ministry and petroleum and natural gas is what has prompted the MHA to to come up with the guidelines.

All bureau heads have been asked to designate such computers on which confidential work will be done. The guidelines have reportedly been circulated among all the ministries on June 30

The HRD Ministry and several others with a sizeable number of staff recruited through outsourcing, have circulated the guidelines to all bureau heads, asking them to ensure that security screening of all such staff has been done.

Raising concern over the misuse of photocopying machines, the guidelines said officers of the sections concerned where the equipment are installed must get those code-locked.

“Counting devices in photocopying machines and other office equipment should be made good use of so that unauthorised copying is not done. CCTV cameras can also be deployed judiciously,” the document said.

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