Government introduces guidelines for cybersecurity in power sector. File photo.  

The union government on Thursday released guidelines for cybersecurity in power sector in a bid to keep the industry secure from cyber attacks.

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The guideline lays down actions required to ramp up security measures across various utilities to raise preparedness in power sector.

With the new norms, government aims to place mechanisms for security threat early warning, strengthen the protection and resilience of critical information infrastructure, and reduce cyber supply chain risks.

The government has said it has drafted the guidelines after taking inputs from cybersecurity agencies like CERT-In, NCIIPC, NSCS, IIT Kanpur.

The ministry of power noted that these norms must be met by all stakeholders to maintain cyber hygiene. The guidelines mandates ICT (Information and Communication Technology)-based procurement from identified “Trusted Sources” and identified “Trusted Products”. In case the procurement is not from a trusted source, the product needs to be tested for Malware/Hardware Trojan before deployment for use in power supply systems.

The government believes the rules will help promote cybersecurity research and development, and create a market for cyber testing infrastructure in both public and private sectors in the country. The issued guidelines are applicable to all responsible entities within the power sector.

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