The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is establishing the National Telecom Security Operations and Threat Intelligence Centre (nTSOC) to protect the country’s critical telecom infrastructure and to contribute to the national fight against cyberattacks.
In 2020, PTA established the sector-specific National Telecom Computer Emergency Readiness Team (nTCERT) for industry coordination on cyber security and threat intelligence.
In early 2021, a web portal was also established for two-way coordination with the industry and to automate the CERT processes.
To effectively detect cyberattacks targeting the telecom sector, nTSOC and nTCERT will work together to provide integrated security awareness, advanced threat intelligence, and 24/7 monitoring of the telecom cyber threat landscape.
This will also enable real-time coordination with the industry for proactive and timely countermeasures on critical security alerts, incident remediation, and continuous improvement of the overall cyber security posture.
PTA, on the other hand, has prepared a consultation paper on nTSOC and has begun consultations with local and international stakeholders. The regulator’s discussions with local vendors are centred on acquiring indigenous and homegrown nTSOC solutions.
Sector-specific unified Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR), incident management, case management, and unified cyber threat intelligence are the primary components of the solution.
According to the PTA, the tendering process for establishing nTSOC is also nearing completion.
All licensees now have secure access to the nTCERT portal, thanks to the telecom regulator. Several telecom operators are currently using the nTCERT portal to exchange threat intelligence information, as well as for security readiness and compliance.
PTA’s cyber security team issued approximately 127 security advisories and over 100 security alerts to telecom operators regarding the most recent cyber threats and vulnerabilities.
To read our blog on “Pakistan to develop AI based cybersecurity solution to counter cyber attack,” click here.
