Authorities in Pakistan have issued a cybersecurity alert to government institutions amid fears of potential cyber attacks.
The advisory was released by the National Cyber Emergency Response Team, which warned federal and provincial departments to take immediate steps to protect government digital systems.
According to the advisory, government institutions have been instructed to temporarily shift their official websites to “read-only mode.” This means users will be able to view information on the websites, but changes or updates to the system will be restricted to reduce the risk of cyber intrusions.
Officials explained that some platforms providing public services or online transactions cannot be completely switched to read-only mode. In such cases, the response team has directed departments to strengthen their cybersecurity protections and implement additional security measures.
The advisory comes at a time when regional tensions have raised concerns about possible cyber threats targeting critical digital infrastructure.
Authorities say the precautionary steps are aimed at safeguarding government data and ensuring that important digital systems remain secure during the current security situation.
Moreover, Several Pakistani television channels, digital platforms, and mobile applications faced coordinated cyber attacks late Sunday night, triggering an urgent investigation by the National Computer Emergency Response Team.
On Monday, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima chaired a high-level meeting in Islamabad, where members of the National CERT and cybersecurity experts reviewed the initial findings. The participants agreed to begin a detailed forensic investigation to identify the source, intent, and technical methods behind the attacks.
Officials confirmed that the most significant disruption targeted the state-owned satellite Pak-Sat, which caused temporary transmission problems for several television channels. Despite the scale of the incident, authorities reported that no major government or private-sector websites suffered damage.
