Srinagar, May 21 -- The directive, issued on Wednesday and approved by the Chief Secretary, sets off a race against time for government offices to clean up digital infrastructure that has long been unregulated. Officials are now under pressure to secure their systems against rising threats like phishing attacks, data leaks, and the use of pirated software.

The move follows months of internal discussions about vulnerabilities across departments, particularly as cyberattacks targeting public infrastructure increase nationwide. But for a region like Jammu and Kashmir, where digital access is tightly interwoven with both administration and security, the stakes are even higher.

"Government data is too valuable to leave exposed," said a senio...