Lack of laws, local expertise amplifies cybersecurity challenge, says expert

JEDDAH — Cybersecurity has improved in the Kingdom over the past few years thanks to the dedication of the government and the focus it put to the sector, according to an industry leader.

"The creation of the national cybersecurity agency is a positive sign," said Dr. Moataz Bin Ali, VP for Trend Micro Middle East and North Africa.

He said the Kingdom was one of the most targeted countries in the world when it comes to cybersecurity. "Saudi Arabia is a target of cyber attacks on daily basis from all over the world, especially from Iran," he added.

A Trend Micro report showed that the number of malware detection during the first quarter of 2018 was 2,724,588 while the number of email threats was 50,656,344. The same report indicated that Saudi Arabia accounts for 11.54 percent of ransomware threats in the region against 0.55 percent on a global level. The global total for ransomware threats as of March 2018 is 1.7 billion, added the report.

Cyber attacks are not limited to the government sector, said Bin Ali, but they also include attacks on the private sector. The education sector was heavily targeted lately while factories and industrial cities were also under threat.

He said their company issues quarterly threat assessment reports, which pointed out that the Kingdom is under severe threat when it comes to cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity, noted Bin Ali, needs now to be isolated from information technology department and should be run separately to be able to perform its special functionality and apply the needed controls.

He also called for creating partnerships between the government and the committed cybersecurity vendors to allow applying new technologies and advancing the cybersecurity capabilities.

Saudi Arabia should start from where others are now, Bin Ali said. He suggested Japan can provide advanced cybersecurity solutions to Saudi Arabia. “It is a neutral country that has tight relations with Saudi Arabia and they now have the Saudi-Japan Vision 2030”.

Speaking about the challenges facing cybersecurity in the Kingdom, he said up until now Saudi Arabia still lacks clear cybersecurity laws that may provide guidance.

Similarly, he said, there is a need for cybersecurity specializations because not all companies can cover everything including physical and virtual workflow protection.

"Among the main challenges facing the sector locally is the shortage of local expertise thus there is a need to develop education and training programs to enhance the skills of local talents," said Bin Ali.

In this line, Ali said his company is recruiting university graduates including both bachelor's and master's candidates with the aim of starting a Cybersecurity Academy, which offers a training program for the graduates to develop the needed skills. A similar academy was launched in Egypt.

According to Bin Ali, they want to develop a “special relationship with the Saudi government”.

Pointing out that his company's MENA headquarters is based in Saudi Arabia, he said they have hired Saudis to take top positions in the company and are starting initiatives to maximize their impact in the country. “We are here to invest and stay,” he affirmed.