Critical Software Flaw Exposes Pakistani Businesses to Takeover Risk, CERT Warns

ISLAMABAD

Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (CERT) has issued a high-level alert over critical vulnerabilities in a widely used workflow automation tool, warning that hackers could exploit the flaws to gain full control of business systems.

According to the advisory, the security gaps allow attackers to bypass existing protections and access sensitive data, including encryption keys used to secure stored passwords. This could enable hackers to decrypt credentials, infiltrate company applications, and maintain persistent access across enterprise networks.

The vulnerabilities, rated 9.5 out of 10 in severity, affect both cloud-based deployments and on-premise servers, particularly those exposed to the internet or configured with public access.

CERT has urged organisations to immediately update the affected software, tighten access controls, audit automated workflows, and reset stored credentials to mitigate the risk.

While temporary fixes such as disabling certain features may reduce short-term exposure, officials cautioned that these measures are insufficient to prevent a potential breach.

Failure to address the issue could lead to data theft, unauthorised system access, and complete compromise of business operations, the advisory warned, underscoring the growing cybersecurity risks facing Pakistan’s digital ecosystem.