Pakistan warns industry, banking sectors from using Indian-origin information technology products

Visitors visit a stall of a technology company on the inaugural day of the flagship 22nd edition of the Bangalore Tech Summit 2019, in Bangalore on November 18, 2019. (AFP/File)

• The country’s federal government says the use of Indian products pose a constant and concealed threat to digital security
• It warns against ‘direct Indian ingress’ into the country’s critical information infrastructure through backdoor or malware

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal government issued a cyber advisory earlier this week, urging industries and financial institutions to exercise caution when using Indian-origin software and artificial intelligence (AI) products to strengthen the digital security of the country.
India, which has made significant advancements in the development of IT products and services, is known to be a major player in the global software development industry.
It has remained a top outsourcing destination for companies seeking online solutions, application maintenance, and customer support due to the cost-effectiveness and a large pool of skilled workforce. Over the years, several major multinational tech firms have developed a significant presence in India, establishing their research and development centers and supporting the growth of the local IT ecosystem.
With India-Pakistan relationship characterized by political tensions and hostilities, however, officials in Islamabad have never encouraged digital collaboration with the neighboring state or indulged in direct buying or selling of IT products and services on an official level.
In a notification circulated on Monday, the cabinet division of the government said it had learned that fintech sector of Pakistan, including a few banks, were engaged with Indian-origin companies offering IT products, cybersecurity and AI solutions.
“It is pertinent to mention that use of Indian security products/solutions pose a constant, concealed and force multiplier threat to [Pakistan’s] critical information infrastructure,” the advisory, a copy of which is available with Arab News, warned.
It maintained the possibility of the “presence of backdoor or malware for collection of logs/data traffic analysis and personal identifiable information” could not be ruled out in such products.
Additionally, they made “direct Indian ingress” in the country’s critical information infrastructure possible.
“All Federal/Provincial Ministries including sectoral regulators are requested to sensitize their affiliated setups/organizations/licensees, on the risks involved in use of Indian origin products/solutions,” the advisory said.
It said all users were recommended to refrain from installing and using these IT and AI products and consult Pakistan Software Houses Association to find technical companies for suitable and economical alternatives.
It may be recalled that several media reports emerged about three years ago which said that Indian intelligence agencies had targeted Pakistan’s government functionaries and military personnel through cyber-attacks.
The army’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, said in a statement it was investigating various targets of hostile agencies to get to the bottom of the development.