An informative and enriching 1.5 hours lecture on “Cybersecurity” was delivered by Dr. Haider Abbas, Director General of National Cyber Emergency Response Team on December 16th, 2025 for the participants of 45^th MCMC. Dr. Abbas provided a holistic view of Pakistan’s cybersecurity threat landscape. He discussed a wide spectrum of risks ranging from ransomware attacks and phishing campaigns to Al-enabled cybercrime and deepfake technologies. He highlighted the growing exposure of critical information infrastructure and operational technologies emphasizing that cyberthreats today pose not only data risks but also systemic risks to public service continuity, national security, and citizen trust. He considered cybersecurity not as a purely technical issue but also as a governance and institutional challenge.

In addition to outlining risks, Dr. Abbas offered practical recommendations to strengthen Pakistan’s cybersecurity posture. These included enhancing interagency coordination, improving cyber hygiene and awareness across government departments, investing in capacity building for cyber professionals, and developing robust response and recovery mechanisms for critical infrastructure. Drawing on international best practices, he discussed multiple techniques to enhance cyber resilience. He also stressed the importance of aligning national cybersecurity strategies with global norms and threat intelligence sharing platforms. His discussion emphasized that proactive preparedness, institutional ownership, and continuous adaptation to emerging technologies are essential to safeguarding Pakistan’s digital ecosystem.

The session concluded with a standing ovation to the esteemed speaker by the faculty and participants.