Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has taken immediate notice of the news regarding the leakage of mobile phone SIMs data and has formed a special team to investigate the matter within two weeks.
An official press release from the Interior Ministry, issued on Sunday, stated: “Following the interior minister’s directives, the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency has constituted a special investigation team to probe into the matter and submit its report within 14 days.”
The release added that the team will thoroughly examine the circumstances, and those involved in the data leak will be identified and brought to justice through legal action. According to media reports, data of all SIM holders, including Interior Minister Naqvi, was being sold on Google. The reports further stated that information regarding mobile location was being sold for Rs500, mobile data records for Rs2,000, and details of foreign trips for Rs5,000.
Growing Cyber Threats in Pakistan
A couple of months ago, the National Cyber Emergency Response Team of Pakistan (PKCERT) issued an advisory warning that the login credentials and passwords of more than 180 million internet users in Pakistan had been stolen in a global data breach. It urged people to take immediate protective measures. Media reports said that PKCERT had identified the global breach involving a publicly accessible, unencrypted file containing more than 184 million unique account credentials.
Quoting the PKCERT advisory, reports said: “The breach exposed user names, passwords, emails and associated URLs tied to major social media services, as well as government portals, banking institutions, and healthcare platforms worldwide.”
NADRA and Data Leak Investigations
In March 2024, a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed to probe a data leak from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), told the interior ministry that the credentials of as many as 2.7 million people had been compromised between 2019 and 2023.
