ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) detected 326 significant cyber threat indicators through Dark Web monitoring between July 2025 and June 2026, including 174 website defacements, 87 data leaks and 41 distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) threats, according to its Cyber Security Annual Report 2025-26.
Website defacement accounted for 53percent of the identified threats, making it the most frequently detected category during the reporting period, the report said.
Data leaks represented 27pc of the total, while DDoS-related threats accounted for 13%. The remaining 24 cases, or 7%, involved the advertisement or sale of sensitive information on Dark Web forums and illegal online marketplaces.
The report warned that data leaks could expose compromised login credentials and organisational information to cybercriminals, potentially putting digital systems and sensitive information at risk.
Website defacement involves unauthorised changes to a website’s content or appearance, while DDoS attacks seek to disrupt online services by overwhelming them with traffic.
The PTA said continuous monitoring of Dark Web sources had improved its ability to identify emerging cyber threats, compromised digital assets and malicious activities that might otherwise go undetected through conventional monitoring.
The authority’s National Telecommunications Security Operations Centre (nTSOC) monitors Dark Web forums, illegal online marketplaces, commercial threat intelligence platforms and open-source intelligence channels to identify data leaks, website defacements and other threats to the telecommunications sector and critical information infrastructure.
Information collected from these sources is compared with other threat intelligence feeds to assess potential risks and identify findings requiring further investigation and response.
The report also examined the blocking of URLs, applications and social media accounts during the year. Monitoring data showed a sharp rise in URLs and social media accounts flagged for blocking in September 2025, followed by a decline in subsequent months. Social media blocking indicators remained comparatively higher than those for URLs and applications during much of the period.
The PTA said continuous monitoring of deep and Dark Web sources, along with commercial and open-source intelligence, helped identify malicious infrastructure, emerging threats and indicators of compromise.
The findings highlight the importance of early threat detection and stronger cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive information, telecommunications networks and Pakistan’s digital services.