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, cyber bullying, 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 Cyber security 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 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 Cyber security 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 cyber security. In our increasingly digital world, the prevalence of malware and malicious attacks underscores the critical importance of cyber security. 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 cyber security 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.—APP
