In a momentous stride toward fortifying the nation's digital infrastructure, Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (PKCERT) has directed all public and private sector organisations to establish fully operational cyber Security Operation Centres (SOCs) within a strict six-month deadline.

Speaking at the “Fortinet Security Day Karachi 2026” forum, PKCERT Director General Dr. Haider Abbas emphasized that the proliferation of information technology has exponentially amplified the risk of cyberattacks, data breaches, and information theft. He revealed that Pakistan witnessed 927 cyberattacks in 2024 and 2025 combined, with 253 attacks already reported in 2026, underscoring the escalating threat landscape.

The Six-Month Mandate and Strategic Compliance

The directive mandates that every organization, including private enterprises, must deploy internal SOCs to continuously monitor their threat landscape. This proactive measure follows a recent ransomware attack on a government entity that resulted in data encryption, necessitating restoration from backup servers. The new mandate aims to prevent such catastrophic disruptions in the future.

Furthermore, Pakistan has developed the Pakistan Information Security Framework 2026 (PISF 2026), which establishes rigorous compliance requirements and auditing controls. Currently under cabinet review, this framework will serve as the inaugural cyber information security standard deployed across all national centres.