Inter Board Committee of Chairmen has temporarily suspended the verification of matriculation and intermediate certificates across Pakistan following a cybersecurity advisory issued by National Computer Emergency Response Team. The advisory warned of potential cyber threats affecting online verification portals, prompting IBCC to halt its verification and equivalence processes for O and A Level certificates. Other related online verification services were also disabled as a precautionary measure. Officials indicated that the suspension aims to protect sensitive educational data and prevent potential exploitation by malicious actors targeting the portal.
The decision has disrupted processes for thousands of students in major cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, and Islamabad, who rely on certificate verification and equivalence for higher education applications and professional purposes. Students seeking to apply abroad have also been affected, as verification services remain unavailable, and manual verification processes had already been discontinued in recent years. IBCC has temporarily restricted the portal to read-only mode, allowing previously registered users to view the status of their applications while preventing new submissions. The move has created temporary operational challenges for both domestic and overseas applicants.
CERT reportedly issued the advisory last week following a series of cyberattacks targeting websites of Pakistani government institutions and media outlets. In response, IBCC Executive Director Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah stated that the portal is being gradually restored for local users within Pakistan, while overseas access will continue to remain read-only until security measures are fully validated. The agency emphasized that the precautionary suspension is necessary to safeguard sensitive educational records and ensure the integrity of the verification process. Security experts note that educational institutions have become an increasingly attractive target for cyberattacks due to the valuable personal data they maintain, highlighting the importance of robust cybersecurity measures across online services.
Officials are working to restore full functionality of IBCC verification and equivalence services while implementing enhanced monitoring and security controls. Students are advised to check the portal for updates and monitor the status of their applications through the read-only access option. IBCC confirmed that no new submissions are being accepted until security protocols are fully verified. Analysts have noted that incidents like these underscore the growing need for cybersecurity preparedness in digital government services and online educational platforms. By temporarily restricting access and focusing on system security, IBCC aims to mitigate risks while maintaining continuity for ongoing verification cases within Pakistan.
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