The National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT) has directed government employees to use only approved virtual private networks (VPNs) to access official systems remotely, warning that exposing government services directly to the internet could leave them vulnerable to cyberattacks.
According to the National Cybersecurity Handbook 2026–27, government-provided VPNs create secure connections for employees accessing official systems from remote locations, helping protect data against unauthorized access and interception.
The handbook advises employees to use only VPN services approved by their departments, maintain strong login credentials and end remote-access sessions immediately after completing official tasks. Staff have also been told to contact their IT or cybersecurity teams if VPN connections become unstable or repeatedly disconnect.
Employees have been warned against using unauthorized VPNs or proxy applications for official work. The guidelines also prohibit disabling antivirus software, firewalls or other endpoint protection tools to improve VPN performance, leaving VPN sessions unattended on unlocked devices, or sharing login credentials.
The handbook warns that failure to follow secure remote-access practices could expose government networks to automated brute-force attacks, ransomware targeting internal servers and persistent backdoors that could enable long-term espionage.
The guidelines form part of broader cybersecurity measures outlined for federal and provincial governments and public-sector organizations.
The post Govt Staff Can Use VPNs Under One Condition appeared first on ProPakistani.