• December 28, 2023
• Information Technology
• Web Desk

ISLAMABAD  –  Caretaker Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Dr. Umar Saif Wednesday said that the protection of Pakistan’s cyber­space under the PECA Act is very important.

“Cybercrime, online buying and selling, cyberbullying, pro­tection of online data, other services of our citizens, identi­fication of threats and effective action against criminals is our core responsibility,” he said in his address as chief guest at the prize distribution ceremony of Digital Pakistan Cybersecurity Hackathon. The event was orga­nized by the National Technolo­gy Fund (Ignite), an organization of the Ministry of IT Telecom.

Dr. Umar Saif further said that there was no specific organiza­tion to act against cybercrime, so a cybercrime wing was created in FIA to look after these issues.

“We have established a sepa­rate agency called the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agen­cy equipped with all the required equipment and skills,” he said. The minister said that gradu­ally, the authority to act against cybercrime is being transferred from the FIA Cybercrime wing to this particular organization which will be able to take effec­tive action against cybercrime. 

He was of the view that with Pakistan’s cyberspace, data of public and private institutions, business transactions, and on­line activities of citizens can be secured effectively. The IT Min­ister said that the first National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERTS) has also been established in Paki­stan, and Sectoral CERTS will be formed under this organization. 

In other words, the govern­ment of Pakistan has created an entire infrastructure under an effective strategy against cyber­crimes, which is being rapidly implemented to make it fully functional. Dr Umar Siaf, extend­ed his gratitude to all partici­pants, sponsors, and organizers who played an instrumental role in making the Digital Pakistan Cybersecurity Hackathon an un­deniable success. He also lauded the efforts of Team IGNITE to hold training workshops and hackathons since October. 

“The significance of events like these cannot be overstated; they are pivotal in fostering innova­tion and collaboration within the dynamic field of cybersecurity. In our increasingly digital world, the prevalence of malware and malicious attacks underscores the critical importance of cyber­security. The evolving nature of cyber threats necessitates con­stant innovation to outpace ma­licious actors,” Dr. Saif added.

He said that as informed, 6 teams represented Pakistan at Blackhat’s cybersecurity compe­tition in Saudi Arabia this year and 4 of them were ranked in the top 35 teams out of 250 interna­tional teams who participated in the event. He termed a good first step by Pakistan and Ignite and said “I hope we have at least one team in the top 10 teams at next year’s Blackhat competition.”

Recognizing the need for ro­bust collaboration, the IT Minis­ter emphasizes the importance of a partnership between the government, private sector, and academia.

Source: The Nation