ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has ordered enhanced cybersecurity measures ahead of Defence Day, with key government institutions and critical information infrastructure organizations directed to remain on heightened alert against possible cyber threats.
The National Cyber Emergency Response Team has instructed relevant sectoral and provincial Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), along with organizations responsible for critical information infrastructure, to establish special cybersecurity control rooms from September 5 to 7.
During the period, the National Security Operations Centre (NSOC) will function as the national cyber coordination centre. It will operate around the clock to monitor the country’s cyber environment, support information sharing and facilitate a coordinated response to major cyber incidents that could potentially affect digital infrastructure.
The National CERT has directed critical institutions to maintain continuous surveillance of essential networks, computer systems, websites and digital services. Organizations have also been instructed to promptly report significant cyber incidents, suspicious activities and possible security breaches to the relevant authorities.
Institutions have been asked to remain in constant contact with the NSOC for the exchange of cyber threat intelligence and coordination during any security incident. They have also been directed to ensure that designated cybersecurity focal persons and technical teams remain available throughout the September 5-7 period.
Technical teams are expected to stay prepared for immediate communication, escalation and response should a cyber incident occur. The measures are aimed at ensuring that organizations can respond quickly to potential disruptions affecting their digital operations.
Special protection has also been recommended for government and critical institutions’ online infrastructure, including websites, portals, application programming interfaces (APIs) and email systems. Organizations have been advised to activate web application firewalls and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) protection while ensuring that web-based systems remain updated.
The cybersecurity instructions also call for the use of multi-factor authentication and stronger security controls for administrative accounts. Institutions have been directed to update operating systems and deactivate services that are not necessary for their operations.
Safeguard Pakistan’s digital infrastructure during Defence Day
Firewalls and intrusion detection and prevention systems installed on critical servers have been ordered to remain active. Authorities have further advised organizations to ensure that critical databases are not directly accessible through public IP addresses.
Continuous monitoring of security logs has also been emphasized to help institutions identify suspicious activity and respond to potential incidents in a timely manner.
The National CERT has additionally directed institutions to keep disaster recovery facilities ready for immediate activation. Organizations have been advised to maintain offline or air-gapped backups of critical systems and configurations and to test their recovery procedures to ensure preparedness in case primary systems are disrupted.
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Data centres and security operations centres have also been instructed to maintain backup arrangements for essential services. These include alternative internet connectivity, uninterrupted power supply systems and generator support.
The cybersecurity measures will remain in focus from September 5 to 7, with relevant institutions expected to maintain heightened preparedness and coordination throughout the period.
The directives emphasize continuous monitoring, rapid incident reporting, stronger access controls, system protection, backup preparedness and coordination among cybersecurity bodies and critical organizations to safeguard Pakistan’s digital infrastructure during Defence Day.
