The Director General of the National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT) has issued warnings to 39 ministries and organizations, highlighting the severe risk posed by an ongoing wave of ransomware attacks.

In an official letter, critical government bodies, including the Cabinet Division, Interior Ministry, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Election Commission, and PEMRA, were cautioned about potential consequences, such as permanent data loss, operational disruption and leakage of classified information. The ransomware specifically targets Windows-based desktops, laptops, servers, cloud storage, and connected networks.

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The alert was also sent to key entities such as the National Information Technology Board (NITB), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), and the Finance Ministry.

National CERT stressed that the advisory should be circulated among all relevant stakeholders to prevent a potential large-scale cyber disruption.

It is important to mention here that the Bullock ransomware encrypts files and demands a ransom for their release. National CERT warned that this latest campaign is highly sophisticated and dangerous, capable of causing widespread damage if not addressed promptly.

Amid this threat the advisory directed all departments to:

·        Avoid downloading files from unverified sources

·        Refrain from opening suspicious links or attachments

·        Conduct urgent staff training to detect phishing attempts

·        Disconnect compromised systems from networks immediately

·        Report any incidents to National CERT without delay