𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗘𝗥𝗧 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 a 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀

𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗱, 𝗣𝗮𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻 — As part of its broader Cyber Security Capacity Building Program, the National CERT successfully conducted a specialized training titled “𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘊𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘦” for officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad (MoFA) and officials from 30 Pakistani Foreign Missions around the world. The session led by Mr. Khurram Javed, Director Capacity Building, National CERT, focused on exploring the increasingly critical role of cognitive and behavioral vulnerabilities in today’s cyber threat landscape. Officers were provided with in-depth insights into how adversaries manipulate perception and trust, leveraging techniques rooted in psychological influence to gain unauthorized access. It was highlighted that these tactics, often subtle and difficult to detect, are frequently used as the first step in sophisticated, multi-layered attacks targeting not just individuals, but institutions and, by extension, national security.

The training incorporated real-world case studies to illustrate how decision-making biases and emotional responses can be exploited by threat actors. Participants learned to recognize the early signs of such manipulation and were guided through practical detection and mitigation strategies aimed at neutralizing these threats before they escalate. In line with National CERT’s Cybersecurity Training Guidelines, the session emphasized actionable best practices and personal resilience techniques to help officers proactively defend against covert intrusion attempts. The training underscored the importance of cultivating a security-conscious mindset as a fundamental pillar of institutional cyber defense.

This initiative reflects National CERT’s commitment to enhancing national cybersecurity readiness by equipping key government personnel with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate and counter modern cyber challenges.