Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team has told government employees to use only department-approved VPNs when accessing official systems remotely, warning that exposing government services directly to the internet could leave them open to cyberattacks.
The direction comes from the National Cybersecurity Handbook 2026-27. It says government-provided VPNs create secure connections for staff working from remote locations, helping protect official data against unauthorised access and interception.
What the Pakistan government VPN rules require
The handbook sets four clear conditions for officials working remotely:
- Use only VPN services approved by their department. Personal or commercial VPN apps are not permitted for official work.
- Maintain strong login credentials for all remote-access accounts.
- End remote-access sessions immediately after completing official tasks, rather than staying logged in.
- Contact the department’s IT or cybersecurity team if VPN connections become unstable or keep disconnecting.
The guidelines form part of broader cybersecurity measures laid out for federal and provincial governments and public-sector organisations.
What staff must not do
The handbook also lists practices that are now explicitly prohibited:
- Using unauthorised VPNs or proxy applications for official work.
- Disabling antivirus software, firewalls or other endpoint protection tools to make a VPN run faster.
- Leaving VPN sessions open and unattended on unlocked devices.
- Sharing login credentials with anyone.
Why the rules matter: the threats in plain terms
The handbook warns that careless remote access could expose government networks to three kinds of attack.
Brute-force attacks use automated software to guess passwords thousands of times until one works. Ransomware is malicious software that locks up internal servers and demands payment for their release. Persistent backdoors are hidden entries planted inside a network that let attackers spy quietly over a long period, a classic espionage technique.
Any one of these, the handbook notes, could compromise sensitive government data or paralyse official systems.
Part of a wider cyber-safety push
The VPN directive fits a broader official focus on digital hygiene. National CERT has previously warned parents against posting family photos online, where location data and personal details can be harvested by criminals.
Industry is moving the same way. A recent PTA cybersecurity seminar with JazzWorld covered 5G, eSIM and AI-era threats, while researchers continue to flag vulnerabilities in everyday software such as Ghostscript.
For government staff, the message is now simple: if the VPN is not department-approved, it is not to be used for official work.
Can Pakistan government staff use any VPN?
No. The National Cybersecurity Handbook 2026-27 says employees may use only VPN services approved by their departments for remote access to official systems.
What happens if staff ignore the VPN rules?
The handbook warns that poor remote-access practices could expose networks to brute-force attacks, ransomware on internal servers and hidden backdoors enabling long-term espionage.
Who issued the new VPN guidelines?
The National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT), through the National Cybersecurity Handbook 2026-27, which covers federal and provincial governments and public-sector organisations.
*Source: ProPakistani*
