Islamabad:
Amid growing concerns over escalating cyber threats, Pakistan’s national cyber response authorities have established a centralized National Cybersecurity Control Room to strengthen monitoring and rapid response capabilities across the country’s digital infrastructure.
The control room has been set up at the headquarters of National Computer Emergency Response Team (nCERT) in Islamabad and will operate round the clock to oversee critical digital assets and government networks. Officials said the move comes in response to a sensitive security environment and increased risks of cyberattacks targeting public-sector systems.
Under the new directives, all internet service providers (ISPs) and provincial CERTs have been instructed to activate their own control rooms and ensure seamless coordination with the national center. Government websites and key digital infrastructure are already under enhanced surveillance.
Authorities have designated the new facility as the central coordination hub for managing cyber incidents at the national level. All institutions have been directed to immediately report suspicious online activities to nCERT and share details of their designated focal persons by March 4.
The advisory outlines strict preventive measures against phishing campaigns, website defacement attempts and ransomware attacks. Organizations have been urged to implement multi-factor authentication (MFA), upgrade security protocols, and strengthen encryption and backup systems to prevent potential data leaks.
Additionally, departments have been instructed to review firewall configurations and security rules to eliminate network misconfigurations — often exploited by threat actors.
Officials emphasized that heightened vigilance and rapid response readiness are critical during the current sensitive period, as Pakistan works to safeguard its digital ecosystem from coordinated cyber threats.
