The Breach
On June 13, 2026, a major cyber campaign was uncovered, compromising nearly 73,932 FortiGate firewalls across 194 countries. According to the campaign description, it impacted many Fortinet devices on the Internet and exposed systems belonging to companies, energy-sector organisations and even a NATO defence contractor.
The attackers did not have to use a new and complex weakness. They used common vulnerabilities, such as internet-accessible management interfaces and leaked or weak credentials. An attacker would then gain access to authentication information, be able to alter firewall settings, establish backdoor accounts and possibly gain further access to internal networks. The investigation, subsequently, reportedly uncovered that the campaign had been targeting 430,000 FortiGate devices and gaining access to 110 million credentials since at least February 2026.
The incident especially got attention in Pakistan when the National Computer Emergency Response Team (National CERT) issued a high-level cybersecurity warning in July. The government urged critical infrastructure firms, such as government departments, banks, telecom and energy companies, to assume their internet-connected FortiGate devices are compromised. This list of recommendations also contained removing management interfaces from public view, bringing systems up to date, resetting credentials, and using multi-factor authentication and monitoring networks to look for intrusion.
But it’s more than a weak firewall that this episode is about. It reveals a deeper issue that is present in Pakistan’s cybersecurity landscape: the disconnect between having security technology and securing it.
Why It Matters
Firewalls and VPN gateways are essential in today’s digitalised world to safeguard digital infrastructure. If not configured, monitored and protected, they can be a security threat. These threats are rising to become a greater concern for Pakistan. Digital systems are increasingly connected and are applied by an increasing number of banks, telecom operators, energy companies and government institutions.
The risks are increasing for Pakistan. Digital systems are becoming more interconnected and are used by a growing number of banks, telecom operators, energy companies and government institutions. A failed firewall may allow unauthorised access to the system for the purposes of stealing valuable information, altering security policies, wreaking havoc on service delivery, and, in some cases, gaining additional entry into internal networks.
Tackling the Weaknesses
The three structural weaknesses highlighted by the Fortinet breach are ones that Pakistan should be looking to tackle. The first is configuration hygiene. Critical management interfaces should not be needlessly made public on the internet. Security devices cannot be deployed and ignored; they need to be properly set up and monitored.
The second is identity and access management. One of the most successful strategies for attackers to gain access to otherwise secure environments continues to be credential theft. Restrictions on privileged accounts, strong and unique passwords, and multi-factor authentication should be the standard for accessing privileged accounts and VPNs.
“Threat detection and response” is the next. It is impossible to stop all intrusions. The true measure of a resilient organisation is its ability to identify suspicious activity in a timely manner and to contain and limit it from spreading. The adoption of SOCs is still very much a problem for many organisations, as is maintaining a mature SOC, threat hunting, and recognising the behaviours of administrators and attackers. In the absence of adequate people and response protocols, technology can’t fill the void.
Therefore, the recommendation of National CERT to have the establishment of a security operations centre within six months is an important step. Compliance on paper won’t be sufficient. Having trained staff, the right technology, constant monitoring, threat intelligence, and funding are essential if a SOC is going to be effective. The challenge of cybersecurity is not something to be purchased once; it’s an operational capability.
A second issue is that the Fortinet breach is not readily apparent to the public in the country. International reporting has furnished us with a lot of information regarding the number of systems affected, but much less information has been made available regarding the number of Pakistani organisations and devices affected. If information about incidents and sectors affected is not accurate, progress will be harder to measure, and any weaknesses that need to be addressed and resources allocated will be hard to identify.
Pakistan’s digital economy is expanding at a fast pace, and cybersecurity is more of a concern. As digital banking, mobile payments, and online government services become the norm, any disruption to digital systems can have significant impacts on individuals, businesses, and government.
Security Measures
The following are some important security measures that should be implemented in a FortiGate environment. They should properly secure VPNs and administrative accounts, update FortiOS to the latest compatible versions, and use multi-factor authentication (MFA). Management interfaces should not be available on the public Internet but should be protected by a secure tunnel. System logs and system configurations should also be regularly monitored for irregular activities, unauthorised access, or other indications of compromise. Additionally, they should keep an eye out for movement from one system to another via Active Directory on their networks.
In Pakistan, there has also been significant progress towards strengthening the cybersecurity system. The country has launched National CERT, raised the number of participations in regional cybersecurity forums, and is progressing towards developing robust security operations centres (SOCs). The protection of network security cannot be achieved only by institutions and cybersecurity frameworks.
The Fortinet breach is an important lesson for Pakistan. The most advanced technology isn’t necessarily the greatest security threat. Poor authentication, stolen credentials, exposed management interfaces, and poor monitoring are common ways that attackers can gain access. Pakistan needs to pay attention to and implement advanced cybersecurity technology and basic security practices, regular monitoring, and strong access controls.
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