Pakistan’s National Cyber Security Emergency Response Team (NCERT) has detected multiple suspected phishing domains impersonating prominent government institutions, warning that the malicious websites may be used to collect sensitive information from unsuspecting citizens. According to the agency’s Threat Intelligence Centre, several suspicious domains were identified on Oct. 4 that appeared to imitate official government platforms, prompting authorities to continue monitoring their activities while advising the public to remain vigilant when accessing online services.
The Threat Intelligence Centre reported that one of the identified domains appeared to mimic a secure login portal associated with National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), while several other suspected phishing websites were found using names linked to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Prime Minister’s Youth Programme and Punjab Safe Cities. According to NCERT, these domains remained active at the time of the advisory and continued to be monitored for potential malicious activity. The agency cautioned that phishing websites and impersonation based attacks are commonly designed to deceive users into entering login credentials, personal information and other sensitive data that could later be misused. Citizens and government organisations have been advised to exercise caution when opening links, websites or login pages received through emails, text messages or other unverified sources. NCERT further stressed the importance of verifying the authenticity of websites before submitting personal or organisational information and stated that continuous monitoring of phishing campaigns targeting national institutions remains underway.
Alongside the phishing warning, NCERT also released a separate advisory focusing on the safe and secure use of Generative Artificial Intelligence tools and platforms. The cybersecurity agency noted that the rapid adoption of AI chatbots, coding assistants, browser extensions, AI enabled applications and third party AI services has introduced new cybersecurity and data governance challenges for organisations. According to the advisory, uncontrolled or unauthorised use of Generative AI, often referred to as Shadow AI, could expose confidential information, intellectual property, credentials, source code and other organisational data. NCERT also highlighted risks associated with prompt injection attacks, insecure AI generated code, malicious integrations, inaccurate outputs and potentially compromised third party AI models. Organisations were urged to establish clear governance policies for AI adoption and ensure that employees only use approved AI services that comply with internal security requirements.
NCERT further instructed organisations to strictly prohibit the submission of classified, confidential, proprietary, personal or credential related information to public or unapproved AI platforms. It recommended creating and maintaining a centrally managed registry of authorised AI tools, browser extensions, plug ins, APIs and platforms that are regularly reviewed for security and compliance. The advisory also encouraged continuous monitoring for sensitive data exposure, unauthorised AI usage, suspicious AI related access attempts and policy violations across organisational environments. In cases where an AI related security incident occurs, NCERT advised organisations to immediately contain unauthorised access, preserve logs and digital evidence, revoke compromised credentials or API keys, investigate the scope of any potential exposure, implement corrective security measures and report the incident to NCERT. Through both advisories, the agency has reinforced the importance of maintaining strong cyber hygiene practices and adopting responsible security measures to reduce the risks posed by phishing campaigns and the expanding use of artificial intelligence technologies across public and private sector environments.
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