Pakistan Moves to Boost University Cybersecurity Through HEC-National CERT Partnership
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cybersecurity cooperation, coordination and resilience across the country’s higher education sector. The partnership aims to strengthen universities’ ability to prevent, detect and respond effectively to emerging cyber threats.
A key outcome of the agreement is the establishment of the Pakistan Education & Research Network (PERN)/HEC as the Education Sector Computer Emergency Response Team (EduCERT). The initiative will create a dedicated cybersecurity coordination mechanism for universities and higher education institutions, facilitating information sharing, coordinated incident response, cyber preparedness and stronger institutional security practices.
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The MoU was signed by HEC Executive Director Dr. Zia Ul Haq and National CERT Director Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Dr. Mehreen Afzal. The signing ceremony was attended by HEC Chairman Prof. Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, National CERT Director General Dr. Haider Abbas, Advisor IT Engr. Nazeer Hussain, Director IT Engr. Naeem Ahmed and senior officials from both organisations.
Prof. Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar said strengthening cybersecurity across higher education institutions is essential to protecting digital infrastructure, academic systems and institutional data. He stressed the need for coordinated action, timely information sharing and enhanced institutional capacity to address evolving cyber threats.
Through PERN, EduCERT will serve as a coordinated cybersecurity platform supporting threat monitoring, incident coordination, security awareness, threat-intelligence exchange and the sharing of cybersecurity knowledge and best practices. The collaboration is expected to strengthen Pakistan’s sectoral CERT framework and build a more resilient and cybersecurity-conscious higher education ecosystem.
