Cyber threats are becoming increasingly more focused and complex with criminal networks operating globally, coordinating sophisticated attacks against targets in short time, which can cause severe damage by the use of technology, whenever they want.Cyber crime, a criminal activity where a computer or a network is the tool of a crime. The terms computer crime and cyber crime are more precisely restricted to criminal activity in which computer or information network is a necessary part of the crime, these terms are also sometimes used to refer crimes such as fraud, theft, blackmail and forgery by criminals by IT networks they use. Cyber related crimes of multiple kinds in Pakistan have increased much over the past years . According to the Cyber Crime Unit (CCU), a branch of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), 62 cases were reported to the unit in 2007, 287 cases in 2008 and while the ratio dropped in 2009, in 2010 more than 312 cases were registered in different categories of cyber crimes. It has increased much more in the years 2013 and 2014.
In the 21st century with the increase in use of computer and internet, rather than making use of information technology constructively, its misuse is common.In the absence of laws through which punitive action can be taken against criminals of cyber crime in Pakistan, people are increasingly becoming victims of cyber abuse, internet frauds, etc. This is evident from the fact that the FIA’s Cyber Crime Cell is receiving some 10 to 12 such complaints daily in Karachi alone. The complexity of the cyber-threat landscape, cyber-crime investigations are overwhelmingly different in nature than the traditional crimes, requiring sophisticated technical expertise and resources and authorities for investigations. Poor cyber security in Pakistan is increasingly affecting all levels of society, whether it is national, local, or individual. Use of different techniques by hackers and other skilled criminal mindset; nation states, terrorist groups, stateless organizations, and rogue individuals can launch a cyber-attack at any time and anywhere, disrupting and damaging to privacy of state and individuals.
Cyber Secure Pakistan needs to establish a multi stakeholder grouping that brings closer industry, government and all societal and academic level interest groups in an effort to increase the scope of cyber security on all three governmental, nongovernmental and international level. Cyber security cannot be restricted and outsourced to any single sector. The vast scope of cyber threats requires fair commitment by all stakeholders, including all the organizations of large and small across every sector. The need of time is now to act locally and globally to protect country and individuals with developed laws against cyber crime ; Government should develop such a level of transparency where all the law enforcement agencies strictly abide by rule of law which will ensure the feasibility of laws and strategies made to deter threats and to deal with criminals of cyber attacks. Annual conference on Cyber Security Pakistan must be held, which is the right platform to counter cyber security threats. Law enforcement agencies should prioritize resources, build multi stake holders consortium in addition to develop expertise, tools and feasible strategies required to effectively counter threats and eventually enhance IT security.
Government should establish a front line defense strategy against immediate threats by creating or enhancing shared consciousness of network vulnerabilities, threats, and events within the Federal Government and ultimately with state,provincial, local, and tribal governments and private sector respective interest groups to boost the capability of Pakistan to deter contemporary vulnerabilities and prevent obtrusion. There is need to establish international liaison among the similar organizations working in other countries to develop better strategies to counter cyber threat.Training should be given to the students at professional educational level by offering them free education and courses to make it easy for more and more people to be expert in the field of cyber security. Defense needed against the full spectrum of threats by enhancing Pakistan’s counter threat and intelligence capabilities and increasing the scope of education of information technology to create awareness among people about the importance of this increasing threat which has been neglected yet; this is way the to security and strengthen the future of cyber security development of efforts across the Federal and provincial levels of government; and government should work to define and educate people about the developed strategies to deter hostile or malicious activity to lessen the loss of people and state as much less as possible.
As it is mentioned above that all sectors, departments, entities, organizations etc of Pakistan should need to be engage actively in this process. Efforts are already going on in Pakistan, Pakistan Information Security Association (PISA) has launched Cyber Secure Pakistan initiative to strengthening the efforts of the government of Pakistan in securing the cyber space and to establish international liaison with the similar organizations functioning in other countries, says a press release. Pakistan has taken ‘Cyber Secure Pakistan’ initiative to promote awareness for cyber security and to bring all relevant stakeholders on one platform and emphasized the need for collaborated and joint efforts.PISA has been engaged in giving training to the students. Efforts have been initiated now there is a need to further strengthen those efforts with transparency should be made on organizational level so that the change or fall of government would not effect the cyber security efforts.So, at the last i would like to say that there’s a great urge on all levels to join hands to build a cyber secure Pakistan.