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March 12, 2025 - Comments Off on Government Cracks Down on illegal SIMs, and telecoms in Gilgit

Government Cracks Down on illegal SIMs, and telecoms in Gilgit

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) seized devices and SIMs that were being used for “unregistered telecommunication operations”, including “illegal internet devices”, with many in custody as per the investigation. The PTA and the FIA launched the raid, claiming that such unsanctioned and unauthorised digital activities could, in theory, be a threat to national security and cybersecurity, in the hands of bad actors.

March 12, 2025 - Comments Off on Lahore High Court Orders Banning VPNs, Social Media Registration to Tackle Blasphemy Online

Lahore High Court Orders Banning VPNs, Social Media Registration to Tackle Blasphemy Online

Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments have been issued orders by the Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) to immediately take action against blasphemy on social media platforms. To this end, according to Express Tribune, the court, ordered, along with the March 15th observance of “International Islamophobia Day”,

“further ordered ”the immediate termination of all types of VPNs, the registration of all social media websites, and the establishment of special courts nationwide, similar to NAB and Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATCs). It also ordered the appointment of dedicated judges for these courts, the creation of a special wing within the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to combat blasphemy, and the establishment of a Counter Blasphemy Department (CBD) modeled after the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).

The ruling by the LHC also instructed the Federal Investigation Agency, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, federal and Punjab governments, and the Ministry of the Interior to “identify NGOs that support the publication or uploading of such content under the guise of freedom of expression.”

March 10, 2025 - Comments Off on Pakistan’s Ministry of IT against immediate regulation of AI.

Pakistan’s Ministry of IT against immediate regulation of AI.

It is too soon to regulate Artificial Intelligence, according to Pakistan’s Ministry  of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT). This also comes about as Pakistan’s Senate Secretariat shared the draft text for the “Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Act 2024”, according to TechJuice. The MoITT conceded that regulatoin is necessary, but emphasised that, as per TechJuice, “data governance, data availability, and data protection must be addressed before considering AI regulations.” The MoITT has established an AI Committee to align with the overall National AI Plan, the latter of which has seen as task force formed by the Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives.

March 6, 2025 - Comments Off on Government Cybersecurity Team warns against new phishing, malware campaign

Government Cybersecurity Team warns against new phishing, malware campaign

https://www.techjuice.pk/ncert-warns-of-lumma-stealer-malware-spread-through-fake-captcha-pdfs/

https://www.samaa.tv/2087329922-advisory-issued-for-organisations-to-protect-against-deceptive-pdfs-and-malicious-websites

The National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT), The Pakistan government’s national cybersecurity agency issued a large-scale warning concerning the presence of a new phishing campaign that has targeted tech, financial services and manufacturing in North America, Asia and parts of Europe. According to TechJuice, the phishing campaign employs and spreads Lumma Stealer malware via “fake CAPTCHA images embedded in PDF files.” Further to this, according to TechJuice,

“Cybercriminals are leveraging search engine manipulation to distribute malicious PDFs that redirect users to deceptive websites. These sites either capture sensitive financial information or deploy Lumma Stealer malware through PowerShell scripts using MSHTA commands. The PDFs, hosted on platforms such as PDFCOFFEE, PDF4PRO, and Internet Archive, appear legitimate in search results, increasing the risk of users falling victim to the scam.

Lumma Stealer, a Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) tool, is capable of extracting login credentials, browser cookies, and cryptocurrency wallet information. Additionally, it installs GhostSocks, a proxy malware that exploits victims’ internet connections. Stolen data is reportedly being sold on underground forums like Leaky[.]pro. Malicious domains linked to this campaign include pdf-freefiles[.]com, webflow-docs[.]info, secure-pdfread[.]site, and docsviewing[.]net.”

March 4, 2025 - Comments Off on Questions revolve Around Report on February Ignite Website Hack

Questions revolve Around Report on February Ignite Website Hack

The initial report on the February 11, 2025 hack of the website of Ignite National Tech Fund, a government-backed startup incubator, has been criticised for inconsistency concerning key points such as the time and duration of the breach, as well as the timeline for the website’s restoration. These criticisms point to serious concerns about the overall report’s accuracy and reliability. According to TechJuice, the report’s summary indicated that:

“...an unidentified hacker took control of Ignite’s website on February 10, 2025, at 6:30 PM. The hosting provider reportedly detected the breach within 10 minutes, restoring the site shortly after. However, the timeline contradicts this account, indicating that the breach occurred at 5:30 PM, with automated alerts sent out at 6:35 PM. The site was taken offline at 6:40 PM and restored by 6:46 PM, suggesting a longer downtime of about 1 hour and 10 minutes.”

March 3, 2025 - Comments Off on Police book citizen under PECA for criticising Muslim clerics

Police book citizen under PECA for criticising Muslim clerics

Pakistani police filed a report under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) against a man accused of criticising muslim clerics regarding the start of the religious month of Ramadan/Ramzan. According to Maulana Abdul Ghaffar Quraishi, the imam who brought the situation to the attention of the police, he man, from the region of Mamashkhel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had allegedly been derogatory on social media, and was also heard to have said that “the moon is of two days and the ulema of Bannu and Pakistan have deprived us (faithful) of the first fast”.

February 25, 2025 - Comments Off on Pakistan to consider a “National Crypto Council”

Pakistan to consider a “National Crypto Council”

A high-level government meeting chaired by the Pakistan government’s Minister for Finance and Revenue floated the possibility of creating a National Crypto Council” (NCC) to advise on the feasibility of cryptocurrency. The meeting, on financial security and potential impacts of digital assets on the Pakistani economy, discussed the possibility of establishing an NCC that would serve, according to TechJuice, as an

 “advisory body comprising key government representatives, regulatory authorities, and industry experts. This Crypto Council will oversee policy development, address regulatory challenges, and ensure that Pakistan’s digital asset ecosystem evolves in a secure, compliant, and sustainable manner. The Council will also collaborate with friendly countries to develop standardized frameworks for international digital economic engagement.”

February 25, 2025 - Comments Off on Supreme Court Bar Association, Journalists Call for Repeal of PECA Amendments

Supreme Court Bar Association, Journalists Call for Repeal of PECA Amendments

Senior journalists and members of Pakistan’s legal bar called for the repeal of recent amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), passing unanimous resolutions at the February 24th 2025 consultative meeting of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) in Islamabad, the nation’s capital. The resolutions, which condemned the passage of  “PECA Amendments 2025” and defended the right to freedom expression were as follows (as per reporting by Express Tribune):

"This consultative meeting condemns and disapproves the PECA (Amendment) Act, 2025, being defective legislation, considering it a violation of Article 19 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of speech and expression.

"This consultative meeting holds that the PECA (Amendment) Act, 2025, infringes upon the rights of media personnel as protected under Article 19 of the ICCPR, adopted by the United Nations and to which Pakistan is signatory". 

February 24, 2025 - Comments Off on Internet Shutdown in Balochistan During Protest Rallies

Internet Shutdown in Balochistan During Protest Rallies

Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a human rights organisation based out of Balochistan, has alleged that protests against the killing of Baloch youth have been hampered by authorities and that an internet shutdown had been implemented. The claim by BYC was made on Twitter/X:

“BYC Zehri and general public organized a protest rally. The rally started from Hospital road to Allah wala Chowk. However, the paramilitary forces (FC) and along with death squad members blocked the roads and hampered the rally to proceed forward. The internet was also shutdown in the entire area”, the BYC stated in a post on X.

Though NetBlocks.org have yet to confirm this particular shutdown, the province has been subject to several internet shutdowns by the authorities in the past, with the period beginning July 16  2024  and ending August 21, 2024 lasting for 864 hours. Activists and inhabitants of Balochistan have frequently protested about alleged human rights abuses in the province by the armed forces and authorities.

February 24, 2025 - Comments Off on Pak Telecommunication Authority approves two licenses for local VPN services

Pak Telecommunication Authority approves two licenses for local VPN services

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued two licenses to companies that allow them to provide VPN services in Pakistan. The “Class License” for the Provision of Data Services” was approved and issued to Zettabyte and Alpha 3 Cubic, as per TechJuice’s reporting.

As reported earlier, the local registration of VPNs is the PTA’s newest attempt to register and monitor the usage of VPNs by Pakistanis, after a proposed banning of unregistered VPNs was vetoed by the Ministry of Law in December 2024. The “Class License” is being offered by the PTA in order for companies to be able to operate legally in Pakistan, should they provide VPN and other proxy services.