Pakistan NCERT warns of rising Blue Locker cyberattacks

Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT) has issued an urgent advisory following a surge in cyberattacks targeting institutions nationwide.

The advisory warns that hackers are exploiting unverified platforms and malicious files to deploy the Blue Locker virus, which infiltrates systems and enables cybercriminals to demand ransom.

NCERT reports a growing number of such incidents, where critical files are encrypted, business operations disrupted, and in some cases, data permanently destroyed.

In response, warning letters have been sent to 39 ministries and organizations, instructing them to strengthen their cybersecurity protocols.

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Recommended measures include implementing multi-factor authentication, deploying email filtering systems to detect suspicious links and attachments, isolating shared drives, and maintaining regular backups to reduce the impact of potential attacks.

The advisory stresses that proactive security measures are essential to safeguard against escalating ransomware threats.