𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗘𝗥𝗧 𝗖𝗼-𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝘀 “𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗹: 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱” 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗕𝗔 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗬𝗢𝗧𝗧𝗔𝗕𝗬𝗧𝗘

𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶, 𝗣𝗮𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻 – The National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT) of Pakistan, in partnership with the Institute of Business Administration - Karachi and Yottabyte, successfully co-organized "Beyond the Firewall: Cybersecurity Conference 2025" at the IBA Main Campus, Karachi. This landmark event united cybersecurity professionals, policymakers, academia, government representatives, private sector leaders, corporate executives, and banking/financial sector experts to address the pressing digital security challenges and charted a course toward a more resilient cybersecurity ecosystem.

The day-long conference featured a robust agenda, beginning with a welcome note from Prof. Dr. Shakeel A. Khoja, Dean School of Mathematics and Computer Science (SMCS) followed by a keynote address by Dr. Haider Abbas, TI, Director General of National CERT. He said, "Cybersecurity is no longer just a technical concern; it is now a core pillar of national security." He further reiterated, “We must treat cyber threats with the same urgency as physical ones. Building a cyber-resilient Pakistan requires collective vigilance, continuous innovation, and unified action.”

The event included two panel discussions: "The Wire Warfare", moderated by Mr. Jawwad Farid, and "Surviving Invisible Conflict", led by Mr. Haris Shamsi. These panel discussions featured cybersecurity experts Dr. Haider Abbas (TI), DG NCERT, Dr. Mehreen Afzal, (Director GRC), Mr. Khurram Javed, (Director Capacity Building), Mr. Shoukat Bizinjo, (Additional Director, State Bank of Pakistan), Mr. Hussein Hassanali, (Advisor, Technology & Risk Consultant, Ecovis Al Sabti), Mr. Faisal Anwar, (Chief Technology officer, Habib Bank Limited), Mr. Habibullah Khan, (Founder & CEO- Penumbra Digital) and Mr. Mubariz Siddiqui, (Founding Partner - Carbon Law). Attendees also gained hands-on insights from expert talks on digital forensics by Dr. Faisal Iradat (Associate Professor & Head of Telecommunications Research Lab) and cybersecurity imperatives by Mr. Haris Shamsi, CEO, Yottabyte.

Beyond thought leadership, the conference facilitated meaningful collaboration through networking lunches, simulated attack scenarios, and interactive lab exercises. The event underscored National CERT's commitment to bridging gaps between policy, technology, and human factors in cybersecurity.

As Pakistan's digital landscape evolves, National CERT remains at the forefront of fostering public-private partnerships and capacity building. National CERT extends its gratitude to all speakers, partners, and participants for making this dialogue on national cyber preparedness a resounding success. Together, we're building a safer digital Pakistan—stay connected for upcoming initiatives!