Pakistan’s telecom cybersecurity posture has been shaken by a surge of AI-powered, identity-driven cyberattacks that rely on stealth and deception, warns the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in its Cyber Security Annual Report 2024–25.
The report reveals that the National Telecom Security Operations Center (nTSOC) processed more than 10,000 critical alerts, escalated about 1,500 incidents, and blocked over 500 malicious infrastructure elements.
During the April–May 2025 cyber escalation, around 25 Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and over 100 dark web threats were recorded, signaling an alarming rise in AI-assisted targeting and credential theft.
According to the PTA report, adversaries have shifted toward “living-off-the-land” techniques that exploit legitimate system tools and user privileges instead of using conventional malware. The most common attack methods, mapped to MITRE ATT&CK categories, include script interpreter abuse, credential theft, obfuscation, and social engineering.
These low-footprint intrusions have proven capable of bypassing traditional antivirus and signature-based systems, exposing a need for behavior-based detection, advanced endpoint monitoring, and stronger identity access management controls across telecom and government networks.
nTSOC’s operational data shows a massive and diverse threat landscape. More than 150 formal cybersecurity advisories were issued through the National CERT portal, 534 malicious IPs and domains were blocked, and hundreds of leaked credentials belonging to telecom and public-sector employees were found on the dark web.
According to the PTA report, sectors most frequently targeted included government agencies, telecom operators, academic institutions, and law enforcement systems. Attacks ranged from credential stuffing and router exploits to phishing campaigns, ransomware, and website defacements, resulting in thousands of stolen credentials surfacing on underground markets.
The PTA attributes many of these attacks to a small number of persistent and state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups. Sidewinder was identified for using localized decoy documents and command-and-control beacons, APT36 for weaponizing Android spyware and malicious PDFs, APT41 for exploiting software supply chain vulnerabilities, Turla for employing steganography and watering-hole tactics, and hacktivist collectives such as R00TK1T for defacing judicial and municipal portals.
The report also found that phishing, credential stuffing, exploitation of unpatched systems, and misuse of remote access during sensitive periods remain the primary entry points for attackers.
To strengthen Pakistan’s digital defenses, the PTA has recommended mandatory multi-factor authentication, zero-trust access models, automated intelligence sharing, cross-sector cyber drills, and legal obligations for breach reporting within 48 to 72 hours.
The report concludes that while the telecom sector’s security hygiene is improving, with 88% of licensees rated “Excellent” or “Very Good,” critical vulnerabilities persist in application security, encryption, and network monitoring. It warns that sustained investment, inter-agency coordination, and adoption of CTDISR-2025 cybersecurity controls are essential to safeguard Pakistan’s digital infrastructure as AI-driven threats continue to evolve.
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