ISLAMABAD:
The government has set up a national committee to formulate an information security framework aimed at countering communications and cyber networks operated by hostile agencies.
According to a release, the committee – titled the National Committee for Information and Communications Security (NCICS) – will be headed by the secretary of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications.
Its members include the Director General (Technical) of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Director General of the National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT), a former Additional Secretary of the Establishment Division, the Secretary of the National Telecommunication and Information Technology Security Board (NTISB) and the Secretary Division.
The committee will assess and monitor the information systems of federal ministries, departments and government organizations to identify vulnerabilities, conduct gap assessments, evaluate the effectiveness of existing information security processes and recommend measures to mitigate risks and strengthen the overall security posture of information systems.
It will also analyze completed cyber security and IT audits conducted by NTISB and NCERT to formulate recommendations and corrective measures aimed at improving the national cyber security governance framework.
It will also carry out development of human resources for cyber security, implementation of technical controls and streamlining of security aspects of procurement of cyber and IT systems. The committee will also conduct gap assessments in critical sectors such as health, energy, civil aviation and transport to identify vulnerabilities in information systems and recommend cyber security measures.
It will also formulate a compliance mechanism that duly incorporates essential information security controls linked to organizational key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure effective monitoring and implementation.
It will establish a Federal CERT (FCERT) under NCERT in accordance with the CERT Rules 2023 to focus on information security aspects in all government ministries, departments and organizations.
