How to Become a Registered Cyber Security Audit Firm in Pakistan

There are two formal paths. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority runs a CAT-1 to CAT-4 Third-Party Audit Firm registration under CTDISR, in place since 2023, specific to telecom-sector audits. nCERT (PKCERT) runs a parallel CAT-I to CAT-IV Cyber Security Audit Firm registration open since February 2025, which is the main cross-sector path for firms auditing clients outside telecom. Mutex Systems holds PTA-Approved status and has an active nCERT application in progress.

PECA 2016 is Pakistan's foundational cybercrime law, criminalising unauthorised access, data breaches, and related electronic crimes. It applies to all persons and entities in Pakistan regardless of industry, and functions as the country's de facto data-protection law in the absence of the still-pending Personal Data Protection Bill 2023.

FBR's Active Taxpayer List status is not itself a cybersecurity requirement — the Federal Board of Revenue has no cyber-audit role. But maintaining ATL status is a mandatory eligibility document for both PTA's and nCERT's audit-firm registration processes, meaning any firm seeking to register as an approved cybersecurity auditor must first be tax-compliant.

No. The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), established under the Competition Ordinance 2007 and later the Competition Act 2010, regulates antitrust and competition matters across all sectors. It has no cyber-audit role and is included in this research only for completeness as a cross-sector national body.

Mutex Systems has an active audit-firm application in progress with nCERT (PKCERT) under its CAT-I to CAT-IV registration, alongside our existing PTA-Approved Cyber Security Auditor status under CTDISR. This gives Mutex direct, current experience with both of Pakistan's formal cybersecurity audit-firm registration processes.