Concerns have been raised by a parliamentary committee on the effectiveness of the cyber security cell in light of recent cyberattacks on several official websites.
At a briefing on the activities of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) on Monday, the Standing Committee on Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication (SCITT) made this statement.
The Standing Committee presided over by MNA Mir Khan Muhammad Jamali, made it known that it was unhappy with the performance of many MoITT departments, the Cyber Security Cell in particular, and directed the MoITT to address the latter’s deficiencies.
Naz Baloch, a committee member, said that the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) website, which houses private data on all Pakistani individuals, had recently been hacked twice.
The National Cyber Security Authority (NCSA), the National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), and the Sectoral CERT will all be established in accordance with the work on the Cyber Security Policy that has already started, according to MoITT officials who also told the committee. Additionally, initiatives are being made to develop cutting-edge laboratories and employ personnel in preparation for national certification.
They also claimed that the CERT guidelines had been written by the MoITT and will be delivered to the Cabinet following Ministry of Law clearance.
Additionally, it drew attention to the revision of the Cyber Crime, Cyber Security, and Social Media Rules since Pakistan has a history of outlawing social media platforms under the excuse of the information that can be found on those sites.
In addition, the committee expressed dissatisfaction with efforts to rebuild the country’s telecommunications infrastructure in the wake of recent floods that devastated half of it.
To read our blog on “PTA sets Three goals for Cyber Security in the Telecom sector,” click here.
