The IT Ministry launches a National Cyber Security Framework

DigiIT26 February 2024

8 1 minute read

In order to improve the country’s cyber security, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication is leading the way in creating a full national cyber security framework.

The goal of this project is to protect the country’s citizens, companies, and important sectors from harmful cyber activities and make the country’s digital infrastructure stronger against new cyber threats.

Officials from the Ministry of IT and Telecom say that the most important part of this framework is the creation of a National Cyber Security Agency (NSCA). This agency will be in charge of coordinating all government cybersecurity efforts.

A tiered structure with the Computer Emergency Response Team Council (CERT Council), the National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT), sectoral CERTs, and provincial CERTs will be set up under its control to make sure that the defense system works well at all levels of government.

Employees at the MoITT say that intense discussions are already taking place to shape this big framework. This shows how committed the government is to safeguarding national interests in cyberspace. Notably, the federal government has given the go-ahead for the creation of the National CERT. This is a big step forward for Pakistan’s efforts to become more cyber-resilient.

Within the next few days, the Ministry plans to officially announce the creation of the National CERT. This will be a big step toward making the planned cyber defense system work.

Pakistan is also planning to set up sectoral CERTs to help key industries and provincial CERTs make sure they can respond quickly and locally. This all-encompassing approach, which is described in the framework, shows how proactive the country is in dealing with new cyber threats.

Importantly, the new CERT Council, which will be in charge of making sure that all the different cyber defense groups work together and coordinate, will be a key part of making sure that the whole country responds together when there is a major cyber event.

The Council is ready to take Pakistan’s cyber defense to a whole new level by getting all parties to work together and using cutting-edge technologies. This will set a standard for proactive cyber governance around the world.