Shafaqna Pakistan: Amid concerns over potential cyberattacks ahead of Defence Day, the National Cyber Emergency Response Team has directed key institutions to establish special cybersecurity control rooms from September 5 to 7.
Sectoral and provincial CERTs, along with organisations operating critical information infrastructure, have been placed on high alert to guard against possible cyber threats.
The National Security Operations Centre (NSOC) will function as the national cyber coordination centre during the period, operating around the clock to monitor threats and facilitate information sharing.
The NSOC will also coordinate responses to major cyber incidents that could disrupt or compromise the country’s digital infrastructure.
The National CERT has directed critical institutions to continuously monitor important networks, systems, websites and digital services. Institutions have also been instructed to immediately report major cyber incidents, suspicious activity and potential security breaches.
Organizations have been asked to maintain continuous contact with the NSOC for cyber threat intelligence sharing and coordinated response. They must also ensure the availability of cyber security focal persons and technical teams from September 5 to 7.
Technical teams have been directed to remain prepared for immediate communication, escalation and response in the event of a cyber incident.
Special measures have been recommended to protect government and critical institutions’ websites, portals, APIs and email services. Organizations have been advised to activate web application firewalls and DDoS protection and keep web systems updated.
Institutions have also been instructed to implement multi-factor authentication and stronger security controls for administrative accounts, update operating systems and disable unnecessary services.
Firewalls and intrusion detection and prevention systems on critical servers should remain active. Critical databases should not be directly exposed to public IP addresses, while security logs must be continuously monitored.
The National CERT has further directed institutions to keep disaster recovery sites ready for immediate use, maintain offline or air-gapped backups of critical systems and configurations, and test recovery mechanisms.
Data centres and security operations centres have also been instructed to ensure alternative internet connectivity, UPS systems and generator backup.
Source: Dunya News
