RIYADH: The National Center for Cyber Security is investigating an attack on government websites in the Kingdom while a Shoura Council member has announced the introduction of a defense shield against such attacks.
In a statement, the cyber body said that it will announce the appropriate preventive measures that have been taken after completing its investigation. Many government and local bodies were targeted recently via emails known as “phishing mails.” “It’s advisable not to open suspicious email messages to avoid any damage that may occur,” it said.
Shoura member Awad Al-Asmari, meanwhile, told local media that the information technology committee of the council is preparing to introduce a new system to protect government websites.
“The system will be a strong deterrent for any party or individual who tries to disturb the public peace, hurt religious values and morals or invades the privacy of others,” Al-Asmari said. The Shoura member said some ministries and institutions are vulnerable to such attacks because they did not raise awareness among the employees on such issues and failed to update their websites.
Experts said that cyber attacks cost between SR300,000 and SR1 million to companies in the Kingdom every year. Some companies think that updating their systems and computers will fend off piracy attacks but it is not enough, they said.
“Big companies are on the receiving end when inside information is leaked,” said Haitham Abu-Aisha. “We have hired expert hackers to simulate piracy attacks on the websites of our clients so that we can test whether they are protected.” He said: “We will close this gap when we detect any access point that may destroy the website or help hackers to destroy the website.”
Electronic attacks in the Kingdom are often sourced from East European countries and Russia while political piracy attacks often come from Iran and Israel, said Abu-Aisha.
Cyber attacks on govt websites being probed
Cyber attacks on govt websites being probed
