The National CERT directed government employees in Pakistan to use only approved virtual private networks (VPNs) when accessing official systems from remote locations. According to the National Cybersecurity Handbook 2026–27, these government-provided VPNs establish secure connections for staff working outside of offices.
The handbook advises employees to use only the specific VPN services approved by their respective departments while maintaining strong login credentials. Staff members must end remote-access sessions immediately after finishing official tasks and are prohibited from leaving VPN sessions unattended on unlocked devices or sharing login details.
Security protocols forbid disabling firewalls, antivirus software, or other endpoint protection tools to improve VPN performance. Employees are warned against using unauthorized proxy applications or VPNs for official work and should contact IT or cybersecurity teams if connections become unstable.
Failure to follow these secure remote-access practices could expose government networks to persistent backdoors, ransomware targeting internal servers, and automated brute-force attacks. These guidelines are part of broader cybersecurity measures for public-sector organisations as well as federal and provincial governments.
