Pakistan CERT Issues Warning Against Restoring Compromised Systems

Pakistan's National CERT instructed government bodies to preserve digital evidence and avoid restoring hacked systems without official clearance.

NationPulse Desk

Oct 20, 2026 · 6:28 PM 2 min read

Key takeaways

Pakistan's National CERT told government bodies to protect digital evidence during cybersecurity probes.

The National Cybersecurity Handbook 2026-27 requires state entities to cooperate with National CERT investigations.

Workers were warned not to modify system audit logs, firewall records or disk memory dumps.

Compromised services and network segments must not be restored without formal security clearance.

Cybersecurity incidents must be reported through approved channels under the CERT Rules 2023.

Pakistan's National Cyber Emergency Response Team instructed state institutions to safeguard digital proof during cyber probes, cautioning that altering system data might ruin forensic examinations of security breaches.

The National Cybersecurity Handbook 2026-27 mandates that state offices assist probes led by National CERT by granting prompt physical and administrative entry to compromised hardware and technical documentation.

The directives note that thorough probes and digital forensics are vital for finding the origins of security breaches, measuring damage and stopping cyber threats.

Don't Alter System Logs

State staff must keep a proper chain of custody for compromised hardware and storage drives to ensure digital proof stays secure and traceable during an inquiry.

Workers received warnings against altering or overwriting system audit logs, firewall files or disk memory dumps prior to collection by inspection squads. Such actions can ruin attempts to rebuild events and find out how a breach happened.

Staff must also supply investigators with system functions, network layouts and event timelines to aid the forensic work.

Unauthorized Access Restricted

National CERT warned state bodies against letting unverified outside vendors or unauthorized individuals touch systems cut off during an active probe.

Offices also received orders to apply emergency containment steps and fix instructions provided by National CERT inspection units.

The handbook states that broken services must remain offline and severed network parts must stay disconnected until official security approval is given. This rule stops systems from going live prior to investigators handling the incident.

Cyber Incidents Must Be Reported

The handbook mentions the CERT Rules 2023, requiring security events to go through approved reporting channels like organizational, provincial or sectoral CERTs.

The reporting and evidence rules are part of steps helping authorities examine cyber events, spot weaknesses and coordinate answers across state bodies.

The rules make state offices responsible for guarding key records, giving investigators required data, and obeying containment and recovery orders until approval arrives.

Questions and answers

What should government personnel avoid doing with system records?

Employees have been advised not to modify or overwrite system audit logs, firewall records or disk memory dumps before investigation teams collect them.

When can affected services be restored?

Affected services must not be restored and disconnected network segments must not be reconnected until formal security clearance has been granted.