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IIT Kanpur's C3iHub will build and run Uttar Pradesh's Rs 104 Cr cyber security operations centre
The state cabinet approved a 24x7 centre to watch government networks, applications and data, and gave the IIT Kanpur cybersecurity hub three years to set it up and operate it.
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on October 27 approved a state level Cyber Security Operations Centre, UP-CSOC, at an estimated cost of Rs 104.28 crore including GST, The Times of India reported. C3iHub, the cybersecurity technology innovation hub at IIT Kanpur, will set up the centre and operate and maintain it for an initial three years, and the approved cost includes those operating expenses, IIT Kanpur said in a statement reported by The Indian Express and ETTelecom.
The centre will monitor the state's critical digital assets, including the state data centre, the UP State Wide Area Network (UPSWAN) and government applications, finance minister Suresh Kumar Khanna told reporters. "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, according to The Times of India. The state will also arrange independent third party security audits every quarter, IT principal secretary Alok Kumar said.
According to IIT Kanpur, the centre will cover both IT and operational technology (OT) environments, with vulnerability management, threat severity analysis, incident investigation and post incident analysis. It will use AI and machine learning along with SIEM, SOAR and network detection and response tools, and will work with the chief information security officers and nodal officers of individual departments on training, vulnerability assessments and cyber drills, The Statesman reported.
C3iHub has previously deployed security operations centres for SAIL's Bhilai Steel Plant, the National Highways Authority of India and the Indian Ports Association, the institute said. IIT Kanpur director Manindra Agrawal said the hub has the specialised expertise to lead the project, ETTelecom reported. Elets eGov noted that the centre's location and go live timeline have not yet been made public.
