ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for IT and Telecom Syed Amin ul Haque has said that move to strengthen the country’s cybersecurity posture, the Federal Cabinet of Pakistan has given its approval to the Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) Rule 2023.
In a statement, the minister said that the decision comes after a thorough consultation process that involved various stakeholders, with the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication (MoITT) taking the lead in formulating the CERT Rules.
According to an official statement, under section 51, read with section 49 of the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act (PECA), 2016, and in compliance with the National Cyber Security Policy (NCSP), 2021, the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication (MoITT) as a designated organization of the Federal Government to deal with Cyber Security has formulated the CERT Rules in consultation with the concerned stakeholders.
The consultation session with the government bodies and regulatory authorities was started in August 2021. Subsequently, sector regulators carried out extensive consultations with their respective private entities.
IT Minister further said that CERT Rules – 2023 provides a legislative umbrella to handle ever-emerging cyber-security risks and vulnerabilities at the National, Sectoral, and Organizational levels by laying out a working mechanism in the form of technical support, operational facilities, and capacity-building services.“These Rules further provide a state-of-the-art proactive and integrated risk management process for identifying and prioritizing protective measures regarding cyber-security”.
He said that a CERT council will be established as a forum for a consultative and coordinating process to advise CERTs for the effective implementation f its functions and services.
The definitions and constituencies of National CERT, Government CERT, Critical Information Infrastructure CERT, Sectoral CERT, Federal CERT, and Provincial CERT are discussed separately, he added.