The Government of Pakistan has initiated measures to combat the dissemination of false information on social media and bolster cybersecurity by announcing the installation of advanced firewalls on internet service providers. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued invitations for bids to deploy next-generation firewalls (NGFW) and web application firewalls (WAF) over the next five years.
Under the plan, Lot A of the firewalls, sourced from China for heightened security and reliability, will feature advanced threat prevention services, URL filtering, application control, and malware protection capabilities. These firewalls aim to identify and block social media content that spreads misleading political propaganda against state institutions, thereby curbing misinformation.
Lot B, the web application firewalls, will provide additional protection by monitoring and filtering HTTP traffic to and from web applications. Equipped with features like advanced load balancing and comprehensive hardware warranties, these WAFs are designed to detect and prevent cyber threats such as SQL injections and cross-site scripting.
The NGFWs and WAFs will integrate advanced security bundles and threat intelligence services to proactively defend against emerging cyber threats, ensuring robust cybersecurity measures across web applications and network infrastructures.
The PTA has called for bids through the EPADS System of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), with a submission deadline of July 26. The initiative involves collaboration with internet service providers to share the implementation costs, aiming to fortify cybersecurity frameworks nationwide.
