ISLAMABAD: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency of Pakistan issued a serious warning about national security on Thursday after it emerged that the personal data of the people had been sold to agencies outside the country by a gang that operated from South Punjab. The Director General of NCCIA, Syed Khurram Ali, made the announcement at a press conference in Islamabad.
A total of four people linked with the database leak ring are now in police custody. It was found out that there were insiders who willingly supplied the necessary information for accessing the data from several institutions.
The Mechanism through Which the Personal Data Network Worked
Personal Data Sold to Foreign Agencies was not only the result of a successful hack from outside. Khurram Ali confirmed that people from within various institutions in Pakistan had provided the information knowingly, despite having authorized access to these databases. This is what makes this case even more alarming than a typical cyber attack.
It was highly sensitive data dealing with individuals of high standing as well as individuals concerned with matters of national security, which are more strategically significant than regular consumer data. This act of selling sensitive data to foreign nations for just thousands of rupees is no only a crime but also a national security blunder.
Zero Tolerance Policy and Institution’s Clampdown
There was no ambiguity on the part of the head of NCCIA regarding his organization’s stance. As he put it, “Pakistan has adopted a zero tolerance policy against data leakages and sale of private information, and all institutions have been informed to take actions against those who sell data within organizations.”
Efforts have already begun to punish officials accused of selling the personal data to foreign agencies, according to Khurram Ali. The involvement of any state worker among those accused raises the issue of integrity and security clearance procedures rather than that of a simple cybercrime.
NCCIA Forms Special Karachi Committee in Collaboration With State Bank
In addition to the arrests that have been made in South Punjab, the NCCIA has created a special committee in Karachi that is directly collaborating with the State Bank of Pakistan. This committee focuses on gangs found to be behind the leaking of confidential data concerning banking and identities, which is another form of threat facing the country.
Some of the gangs have already been uncovered by the combined effort of the NCCIA and State Bank, which shows that selling personal information to other countries’ agencies is not just restricted to one province but has a wider implication for Pakistan as a whole.
ALSO READ: NCCIA Busts Fake Call Centre in Lahore Over Online Investment Fraud
Momina Iqbal Case to Be Sorted Out in Days
Khurram Ali also shed light on the high-profile case of Momina Iqbal and her alleged cybercrime. Khurram Ali clarified that their Lahore branch is currently working on the case and will be sorting it out within days.
In reply to the claim by Iqbal that there had been a delay by the organization due to her complaints, Khurram Ali categorically refuted such a claim. According to him, Iqbal resided in Karachi when her complaint was made, but as soon as she came to Lahore to make her complaint personally, immediate steps were taken.
