Cyber threat: IBCC suspends certificate verification

KARACHI:

The Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) has temporarily suspended the verification of matriculation and intermediate certificates across Pakistan following a cybersecurity advisory issued after recent cyberattacks targeting government and media websites.

Officials said the precautionary measure was taken after guidance from the National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), which warned institutions to strengthen digital security following hacking attempts on several government portals and television channels in recent days.

As a result, the verification of matric and intermediate certificates, along with the equivalence and verification process for O and A Level qualifications, has been halted nationwide, while other online verification services have also been disrupted. IBCC sources said the suspension has created difficulties for thousands of students from across Pakistan, including Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Islamabad, who require verification of their matriculation and intermediate certificates or equivalence certificates for O and A Levels.

The disruption has particularly affected students applying to universities abroad, as verification and equivalence services remain unavailable.

Officials noted that manual verification and equivalence procedures had already been discontinued earlier, making it impossible for the organisation to revert to the previous system during the current disruption.

Meanwhile, the IBCC has restricted its verification and equivalence portal to "read-only mode".

Only previously registered users can log in to check the status of their applications, while the system is currently not accepting any new cases.

Responding to queries, IBCC Executive Director Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah said the organisation was working to restore the portal for users within Pakistan.

However, he added that overseas applicants would not be able to submit new verification or equivalence requests through the portal for the time being.