The federal government on Tuesday warned fintechs in the country about the potential dangers of securing technological products and services from India.
In an advisory issued on Tuesday, the government said there has been an increase in the adoption of artificial intelligence products and services globally in various industries, including financial and banking sectors.
In Pakistan, the advisory said, it has been observed that some financial institutions have been using products created by Indian-origin companies, including in the cyber security realm.
“Indian security products/solutions pose a constant, concealed and force multiplier threat to own critical information infrastructure (CII), including the banking sector, on account of the following risks:
Possibility of the presence of backdoor or malware for collection of logs/data traffic analysis and personally identifiable information (PII).
Direct Indian ingress in Pakistan’s CII through technical means/access control with passive monitoring capability.”
The advisory urged all federal and provincial ministries, including sectoral regulators, to sensitise their affiliated setups/organisations/licensees on the risks involved in using Indian-origin products/solutions.
Furthermore, it advised all users to refrain from collaborating, installing, and using Indian-origin AI/ICT products.
The Pakistan Software House Association (P@SHA) was asked to find Pakistani technical companies that can provide suitable and economical alternatives.
