Portal is being restored for local users, while overseas access remains read-only for now, CEO says
KARACHI:
The Inter-Board Chairmen’s Committee (IBCC) has suspended verification of matriculation and intermediate certificates nationwide following an advisory from the National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) about possible cyber threats.
According to a notification from the IBMCC, the verification and equivalence process for O and A level certificates has also been temporarily stopped, and other online verification services have been disabled as a precautionary measure.
The suspension has created hardship for thousands of students across the country, including those in major cities like Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Islamabad, requiring verification of matric and intermediate certificates or equivalence of O and A levels.
Students applying abroad have also been affected, as verification and equivalence services remain disrupted.
Officials noted that manual verification and equivalence processes had already been discontinued, making it impossible to return to the old system.
Meanwhile, the IBMC has restricted its verification and equivalence portal to “read-only mode.” Only previously registered users can log in to view the status of their cases, while no new requests were accepted.
The CERT advisory was reportedly issued last week following cyber attacks that targeted the websites of several television channels and government institutions in Pakistan.
IBMC CEO Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah said the portal is being restored for users within Pakistan, while foreign users will continue to have access only in read-only mode for the time being.
