On August 10, National Cyber Emergency Response Team (CERT) placed 39 federal ministries and state institutions on high alert after detecting a wave of ransomware attacks that could encrypt files, disrupt government operations, and expose classified data.
The warning, issued by the CERT director general in an official letter, said the malware — identified in separate advisories as “BlueLocker” and “Bullock” — targets Windows-based desktops, laptops, servers, cloud storage systems, and connected networks. It encrypts files, appends a distinctive extension, and demands ransom for decryption.
Officials were told the ransomware may disable antivirus software, spread to other machines on the network, and steal sensitive information. The advisory described the current campaign as sophisticated and urged urgent action to prevent large-scale disruption.
The letter was sent to senior leadership of the Cabinet Division, Interior Ministry, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Finance Ministry, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the Election Commission of Pakistan, and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). Other recipients included the National Information Technology Board (NITB), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the National Security Division, the Establishment Division, and the National Assembly.
CERT directed all departments to circulate the warning internally, disconnect any infected systems from their networks immediately, and report incidents without delay. It also instructed ministries to avoid downloading files from unverified sources, refrain from clicking on suspicious links or attachments, and conduct staff training to identify phishing attempts.
The advisory further recommended long-term measures, including multi-factor authentication, filtering of email and web content, timely software updates, offline backups of critical data, continuous system monitoring, and preservation of forensic evidence for investigations.
