Pakistan tests secret China-like ‘firewall’ to tighten online surveillance


Pakistan’s government has deployed Chinese technology to build what some senior officials familiar with the project are calling a new, national internet “firewall” that will allow authorities to monitor online traffic and regulate the use of popular apps with greater control than before.

The project aims to upgrade the government’s web monitoring capabilities at the country’s main internet gateways, as well as at the data centres of mobile service and major internet service providers. Senior executives from two internet service providers (ISPs) and an official from the country’s security establishment told Al Jazeera that trials of this new firewall, installed as part of Pakistan’s internet infrastructure, were responsible for a spate of complaints of poor internet connectivity in the country in recent months.

Read more…
Source: Al Jazeera News


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • TikTok takes action against 20 million videos in Pakistan

    July 8, 2024

    Popular video-sharing platform TikTok on Monday issued its Community Guidelines Enforcement Report for the first quarter of the ongoing year, revealing that the company took action against more than 20 million videos. During the January-March period of 2024, the platform took action against 20,207,878 videos in Pakistan for breaching its Community Guidelines. TikTok’s community guidelines are ...

  • SentinelLabs uncovers new CapraRAT spyware targeting Android users

    July 1, 2024

    A new report released today by SentinelLabs, warns of a resurgence of CapraRAT spyware targeting mobile gamers and weapons enthusiasts through malicious Android applications. CapraRAT is an Android remote-access trojan virus used by a Pakistan-linked threat actor called Transparent Tribe, also known as APT36, which first emerged around 2018. The malware has primarily been used for ...

  • DISGOMOJI Malware Used to Target Indian Government

    June 13, 2024

    In 2024, Volexity identified a cyber-espionage campaign undertaken by a suspected Pakistan-based threat actor that Volexity currently tracks under the alias UTA0137. The malware used in these recent campaigns, which Volexity tracks as DISGOMOJI, is written in Golang and compiled for Linux systems. Volexity assesses with high confidence that UTA0137 has espionage-related objectives and a remit ...

  • Pakistani hackers target ‘Make in India’ defence programs

    May 28, 2024

    As per a report, three public sector defence equipment manufacturers as well as India’s security forces have been on the target of an espionage campaign run by a notorious Pakistani hacking group with suspected links to its military. Transparent Tribe, known as Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) 36 among cybersecurity professionals, has been targeting employees in defence ...

  • Pakistan: Government establishes National CERT to counter cyber attacks

    March 26, 2024

    The federal government announced on Tuesday the formation of a National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). This initiative aims to fortify the country’s defenses against the growing threat of cyber attacks, providing essential awareness and protection measures to safeguard digital assets and critical infrastructure. The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has issued a notification regarding ...

  • Pakistan cuts off phone and internet services on election day

    February 8, 2024

    Pakistan has temporarily suspended mobile phone network and internet services across the country to combat any “possible threats,” a top ministry said, as the South Asian nation commences its national election. In a statement, Pakistan’s interior ministry said the move was prompted by recent incidents of terrorism in the country. The internet was accessible through wired ...