What is PEMRA's cybersecurity directive for TV channels?+
Following coordinated cyberattacks on Pakistani broadcasters in March 2026 — including an attempted disruption of Khyber Network's live transmission and incidents affecting Geo News, ARY News, and Samaa TV — PEMRA issued a directive on 21 July 2026 requiring all satellite TV licence holders to submit a cybersecurity implementation roadmap within three working days and complete key measures by 4 August 2026. The required measures are a third-party cybersecurity audit, a SOC/SIEM capability (installed or outsourced), and the appointment of a Chief Information Security Officer.
What is PISF and how does it relate to PEMRA's requirements?+
PISF (Pakistan Information Security Framework) is the national baseline security framework published by PKCERT, Pakistan's National Cyber Emergency Response Team, under the National Cyber Security Policy 2021 and CERT Rules 2023. It defines 13 essential control documents across four implementation phases — governance, asset and risk management, core technical controls, and audit — with a four-level compliance maturity model. PEMRA's audit, SOC/SIEM, and CISO requirements map directly onto PISF's governance, monitoring, and audit domains.
What happens if my channel missed the August 4, 2026 deadline?+
PEMRA has framed this as an active, ongoing requirement rather than a single filing date, and enforcement can follow directly from an incident. If your channel hasn't submitted a roadmap or completed the required measures, the priority is to move immediately: commission a third-party gap assessment, document interim controls already in place, and show demonstrable progress.
Does Cyberox provide SOC/SIEM monitoring directly?+
Not as an in-house managed service today. Cyberox delivers the third-party audit and the CISO requirement (via vCISO) directly. For SOC/SIEM, we scope the requirement and help you select and stand up an outsourced arrangement with a qualified monitoring partner, so all three PEMRA requirements are covered without an unsubstantiated in-house claim.
Do radio stations and digital-only broadcasters need to comply too?+
PEMRA's current enforcement activity is concentrated on satellite TV licence holders, given the live-transmission disruption risk that triggered the directive. Radio and digital-only outlets operating under PEMRA licensing should not assume they are exempt, since PKCERT's mandate covers broadcast media as a sector. Confirm status directly with PEMRA rather than wait for sector-wide clarification.