ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said it identified 326 significant cyber threat indicators through Dark Web monitoring over a one-year period, including 174 website defacement incidents, 87 data leaks and 41 distributed denial-of-service threats, according to its Cyber Security Annual Report 2025-26.
The report, covering July 2025 to June 2026, said website defacement was the most frequently identified threat, accounting for 53% of all indicators recorded by the National Telecommunications Security Operations Centre. Data leaks made up 27% of the threats, DDoS-related incidents 13%, and 24 cases, or 7%, involved the advertisement or sale of sensitive information through Dark Web forums and illegal online marketplaces.
The PTA warned that compromised credentials and organizational information exposed through data leaks could be exploited by cybercriminals. It said website defacement remained the dominant threat category, reflecting continued attempts to compromise online platforms, while DDoS threats underscored the risk of disruption to internet-facing systems and digital infrastructure.
The authority said continuous Dark Web intelligence monitoring had strengthened its ability to identify emerging threats, compromised digital assets and malicious activity that might go undetected through conventional monitoring. The nTSOC monitors Dark Web forums, illegal marketplaces, commercial threat intelligence platforms and open-source intelligence channels, and correlates that information with other threat intelligence feeds to assess potential impacts and identify findings for further investigation.
The report also tracked the blocking of URLs, applications and social media accounts during the period. Monitoring data showed a sharp increase in September 2025 in the number of URLs and social media accounts flagged for blocking, followed by a decline in subsequent months. Social media blocking indicators remained comparatively higher than URL and application figures for much of the period.
The PTA said continued monitoring of deep and Dark Web sources and other intelligence channels enhanced threat visibility and helped identify malicious infrastructure and indicators of compromise. The findings, it said, underline the growing importance of proactive cyber threat intelligence in limiting the exposure of sensitive information and strengthening the resilience of Pakistan's telecommunications networks and digital services.
