The Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) has temporarily suspended the verification of matriculation and intermediate certificates across Pakistan following a cybersecurity advisory issued by the National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT).
According to an official notification, the verification and equivalence process for O and A Level certificates has also been halted, while several online verification services have been disabled as a precautionary measure against potential cyber threats.
The suspension has created difficulties for thousands of students nationwide, including those in Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, and Islamabad, who require certificate verification or equivalence for academic admissions and other purposes.
Students planning to study abroad have also been affected as the services remain disrupted.
Officials said manual verification and equivalence processes had already been discontinued, making it impossible to revert to the previous system.
In the meantime, the IBCC has placed its verification and equivalence portal in “read-only mode.” Existing users can log in to check the status of their applications, but new applications are not being accepted.
The advisory from CERT was issued last week after cyberattacks targeted the websites of several Pakistani television channels and government institutions.
IBCC Executive Director Dr. Ghulam Ali Mallah said the portal is being restored for users within Pakistan, while overseas users will temporarily have read-only access until the system is fully secured.
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