ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT) has issued an urgent advisory, urging all citizens to immediately change their passwords following the discovery of a massive global data breach.
According to NCERT, the breach involves an infostealer database recently uncovered, which has exposed more than 184 million unique account credentials. The database reportedly includes usernames, passwords, and potentially sensitive personal information harvested from infected devices worldwide.
While the breach is global in scope, NCERT emphasized that Pakistani users are also at significant risk, particularly those who reuse passwords across multiple platforms or have not recently updated their login credentials.
“This is a serious threat. We urge all individuals and organizations to take immediate action by changing passwords for email, banking, and social media accounts, especially those using the same login information across services,” NCERT said in its public alert.
The agency also recommended the following cybersecurity best practices:
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) where possible.
- Avoid using the same password across different platforms.
- Use a reputable password manager to generate and store strong, unique passwords.
- Update antivirus and anti-malware software to ensure devices are not compromised.
The breach stems from infostealing malware, which is typically spread through malicious links, phishing emails, and software downloads. Once installed, these programs silently extract stored credentials from browsers and applications.
NCERT is coordinating with international cybersecurity partners to monitor the impact of the breach and assess any specific threats to national infrastructure or data. No official statement has yet been made regarding the origin of the attack or its perpetrators.
Users are encouraged to visit NCERT’s official website for additional guidance and real-time updates on cybersecurity threats.
