Lucknow: State cabinet on Tuesday approved the establishment of a state-level cyber security operations centre (UP-CSOC) at an estimated cost of Rs 104.28 crore, including GST, to monitor govt digital infrastructure round the clock and respond to cyber threats.“The centre would be established through IIT Kanpur’s cybersecurity innovation hub, C3iHub, which would also operate and maintain it for three years,” finance minister Suresh Kumar Khanna told reporters. He said the Centre would monitor critical digital assets, including the state data centre, UP State Wide Area Network (UPSWAN), govt applications and other key systems. “It will enable centralised monitoring and analysis of suspicious activity, helping authorities identify potential attacks and respond to incidents such as data breaches, ransomware and unauthorised access,” Khanna said.“The facility will deploy security technologies, including next-generation firewalls, security information and event management systems,” he said. Principal secretary, IT and Electronics department, Alok Kumar, said that cybersecurity specialists will be deployed to monitor threats and respond to incidents 24 hours a day.Kumar also noted that the state will also arrange independent third-party security audits every quarter to assess compliance with prescribed security standards and service requirements. “The initiative aims to strengthen the protection of govt data,” Kumar concluded.
