National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Common Criteria Pakistan Lab (CCP) to strengthen Pakistan’s national cybersecurity resilience. The agreement brings together two critical institutions to collaborate on research, information exchange, capacity building, and incident response coordination. The MoU was signed by Dr. Haider Abbas, TI, Director General of National CERT, and Kashif Rahim, Project Director at CCP, marking a step toward enhanced cooperation in safeguarding Pakistan’s digital infrastructure against growing cyber threats.
This collaboration is designed to harness CCP’s technical expertise in evaluating and certifying IT security products against international standards and combine it with National CERT’s operational role in cyber defense and emergency response. The partnership will allow both organizations to align on best practices for ensuring secure technology adoption in Pakistan. By leveraging each other’s strengths, National CERT and CCP will establish mechanisms for sharing real-time intelligence related to vulnerabilities, threats, and incidents. This integration of technical certification and national-level cyber incident handling is expected to improve the speed and effectiveness of the country’s cybersecurity response.
A key part of the MoU is the joint commitment to research and development in cybersecurity, including knowledge exchange initiatives and specialized training programs for professionals. The collaboration aims to build advanced capabilities that will prepare Pakistan’s cybersecurity workforce to counter increasingly sophisticated digital risks. By focusing on both academic and applied aspects of cybersecurity, the two organizations intend to create a pipeline of skilled professionals equipped to support both government and private sector needs. Capacity building at this scale is considered vital for strengthening national cyber resilience.
The agreement also highlights the importance of coordinated responses to cyber incidents. By establishing protocols for sharing intelligence and jointly responding to security challenges, National CERT and CCP are positioning themselves as complementary pillars in Pakistan’s cybersecurity framework. Their cooperation demonstrates a shared commitment to advancing national defense mechanisms, reducing exposure to global cyber threats, and fostering a trusted digital ecosystem for citizens, businesses, and institutions. With this partnership, Pakistan reinforces its stance on developing indigenous cybersecurity capacity and strengthening trust in its digital transformation journey.
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