Part of the activities in the 3rd Saudi International Conference on Information Technology and Cyber Security

Riyadh- A Saudi official has revealed that there is a continuous censorship and follow up to track any attempt for cyber attacking government and private installations, including terrorist actions and money laundering.

The official explained that there are specialized committees in the country to review these cases and protect information security in the Kingdom.

Prince Dr Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed, President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) talked during a press conference following the inauguration of the Third Saudi International Conference on Information Technology entitled “Cyber Security”, which was organized by KACST at its headquarters in Riyadh, under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Dr Turki bin Saud explained that his country is fully alert to save its security information from hackers and pointed out that Saudi Arabia has assigned specialized bodies to watch suspicious activities, including terrorist acts and money laundering.

The prince called the private sector to invest in the fields of information and electronic securities, be updated, and submit challenges, problems and review solutions to solve them and contribute to developing the information security field.

Dr Turki said that the cost of losses due to cyber- attacks per year was estimated at $ 445 billion globally, and the damage bill of such attacks is expected to rise in the future as a result of the expansion of electronic services and the entry of new technology concepts.

He also reinforced the need to develop scientific research efforts in the field of information security in support of national interests through the transfer and localization of technology, building capabilities and innovation of national algorithms that can be used safely to protect data.

Moreover, the KACST President said that the City has worked and is still working in cooperation with the relevant authorities on the transfer and localization of the latest technologies of the Kingdom through the establishment of a sophisticated infrastructure and national capability-building in many scientific fields.

These fields include the transfer of those related to information technology in general and cyber security technology in particular, emanating from the leadership’s interest in scientific research and technical development in various fields for their important role in development and its sustainability.

Moreover, Dr Turki pointed out that KACST has built a supportive integrated environment for the transfer and development of technologies related to information security through the establishment of the National Center for Information Security Technology and implementation of applied research in the field of information security in partnership with a number of distinguished universities and research centers around the world, as well as the preparation of qualified and national capabilities on research and development in this area.

The conference targeted staff and students from higher education institutions and encouraged attendance of managers and officials of public and private sectors within and outside the Kingdom, who are interested in electronic security management, the authors of the regulations and policies for information security and its innovation, besides local and international experts and researchers in the field of information security technology.