Gujarat govt forms core panel, task force to deal with cyber attacks against energy infrastructure

Ahmedabad, Dec 31 (PTI) The Gujarat government on Wednesday said it has constituted a core committee and a task force to strengthen the state's energy infrastructure against cyber attacks.

The core committee and the task force will review and present a roadmap on necessary actions, training, participation of various institutions, and cyber awareness programmes related to cyber security in the state's energy sector, an official release said.

"As modern systems, such as smart meters, smart grids, and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) have now been incorporated into the state's 24-hour power supply system, the possibility of cyber attacks on the energy infrastructure has increased," it said.

Keeping this in view, the Energy and Petrochemicals Department (EPD) of the state government has constituted an 11-member core committee and a 19-member task force, it said.

They will review IT and cyber security-related arrangements for critical infrastructure in the energy sector, the cyber security policy, and preparedness for managing cyber security incidents, the release said.

In addition, they will also present a roadmap for necessary improvements and for building a robust cyber security system through partnership with academic institutions and experts in the field, and cyber drills, training and awareness programmes to be conducted along with coordination with national and state agencies, it said.

"This initiative has been undertaken with the objective of developing a strong and well-organised system to firmly safeguard the state's energy infrastructure against cyber attacks," it said. PTI KA NP