The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to advance its strategic commitment to cybersecurity, led by its National Cybersecurity Authority, the driver of many of the country's cyber protection initiatives.
The NCA, formed in 2017, in the past year has released a number of regulations such as the new Personal Data Protection Law 2023, Data Cybersecurity Controls, Operational Technology Cybersecurity Controls, the cybersecurity toolkit 2.0, and the guide to essential cybersecurity controls implementation.
Building the Workforce Saudi Arabia has also focused heavily on protecting national entities and building a capable cyber workforce.
The Kingdom's growing array of regulatory tools, toolkits, and guidelines has been recognized globally by the International Telecommunications Union's Global Cybersecurity Index, ranking Saudi Arabia in second place after the United States.
This year also saw a busy roster of industry events held in the kingdom, such as the Global Cybersecurity Forum, Black Hat Middle East, Intersec, LEAP, and World CyberCon.
In June 2023, GCF launched a sister body devoted to strengthening international cooperation in cybersecurity: the Global Cybersecurity Forum Institute.
The Institute aims to harness the potential of cyberspace and support efforts to boost cyber safety on a global scale.
According to Haitham Al-Jowhari, partner of digital infrastructure & cybersecurity at PwC Middle East in Saudi Arabia, the GCFI will help position the kingdom as a cybersecurity role model globally.
Saudi Arabia remains one of the world's most-attacked countries by cyber threat actors.
The losses suffered by Gulf countries from cyberattacks are among the highest globally.
According to data from IBM for 2020, the average cost of a cyberattack on an organization in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates was $6.53 million, which is 69% more than the global average.
According to Handa, Saudi Arabia can further bolster its cyber resilience by prioritizing initiatives such as education and training programs, investing in advanced technologies, fostering public-private collaboration, implementing robust regulatory frameworks, and building a skilled cybersecurity workforce.
Al-Jowhari says Saudi Arabia remains a leader in the region when it comes to cybersecurity.
It has strong sponsorship from the country's leadership; governance at a national level spearheaded by the NCA; and the disciplined implementation of the cybersecurity agenda across stakeholders, he notes.
Need for People Like many other nations, Saudi Arabia is facing a severe cyberskills shortage.
To this end, the Saudi government is investing heavily in initiatives to enhance digital skills, including a $1.2 billion plan to train 100,000 youths in fields like cybersecurity.
Efforts to promote Saudization and female empowerment align with Saudi Vision 2030, with women constituting 45% of the cybersecurity workforce.
This Cyber News was published on www.darkreading.com. Publication date: Thu, 28 Dec 2023 12:01:06 +0000