Pakistan

Investigation finds no evidence of telecom systems behind data leak: PTA

According to PTA officials, the probe found no evidence that telecom operators’ systems were responsible for the breach

Web desk

|

25 Sep 2025

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has completed its investigation into recent reports of citizens’ personal data being leaked online, concluding that the compromised records are old and not directly sourced from telecom companies.

According to PTA officials, the probe found no evidence that telecom operators’ systems were responsible for the breach. The findings stated that information such as call detail records (CDRs), travel history, and family tree details are not stored together in a single database.

Data appearing in the leak, including travel history and vehicle registration, is not available with telecom operators, suggesting that the records were compiled from multiple sources before being posted online, possibly on the dark web.

Officials revealed that in 2022, PTA had shared datasets with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), and some of this information could have been leaked. A similar inquiry conducted in 2022, with third-party forensic analysis, also determined that the compromised data was outdated.

During the latest investigation, PTA reviewed around 1,500 mobile SIM records, finding inconsistencies where numbers, CNICs, and addresses belonged to different individuals, raising doubts about the accuracy of the leaked data.