The National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT) participated in a three-day basic-level OSINT training in Islamabad organized by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). The workshop brought together key national stakeholders including the Federal Investigation Agency, the National Counter Corruption and Intelligence Agency, and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, with attendees from National CERT including Ms. Zaheema Iqbal, Ms. Asia Bibi, Ms. Maryam Jalees, Mr. Osama Manzoor, and Mr. Muhammad Usman.
Led by international cybersecurity experts Mr. Lukas Viliam and Mr. Michael, the OSINT training covered cyber-facilitated exploitation and practical techniques for digital evidence handling. Participants received hands-on exposure to open-source tools, investigative methodologies and AI-driven analytical approaches designed to support modern law enforcement and cyber response operations in Pakistan.
The programme examined the emerging role of blockchain and virtual currencies in recruitment fraud, and explored how social media manipulation, hybrid threats and disinformation campaigns are used to sustain fraudulent job networks. Practical exercises and case-based scenarios were tailored to the local context to help investigators identify and disrupt online schemes targeting aspiring migrants.
A dedicated inter-agency consolidation session on the final day enabled deeper cooperation between attending organisations and set out operational steps to improve information sharing and joint investigations. National CERT reiterated its commitment to strengthening Pakistanโs cybersecurity posture and enhancing cross-agency coordination as part of efforts under the Preventing Fraudulent Job Advertisements and Cyber Activity as a Facilitator of Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Human Beings (FJA-PAK) framework.
Ongoing collaboration with ICMPD and partner agencies aims to translate the lessons from this OSINT training into concrete measures that protect citizens from online exploitation, safeguard migrant aspirants, and disrupt cyber-enabled trafficking and fraudulent recruitment networks.
