NCSC, Kaspersky hold cybersecurity forum in Riyadh

The one-day forum in Riyadh took more than 150 participants from 50 different organizations through sessions and panel discussions.

The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), a part of the Ministry of Interior of Saudi Arabia, is co-presenting a cybersecurity forum with Kaspersky Lab. The summit is targeted toward building awareness and levels of preparation particularly within the public sector in the Kingdom. The one-day forum in Riyadh, designed to bring the national cybersecurity mandate and priorities within the framework of the Saudi Vision 2030 to life, took more than 150 participants from 50 different organizations through sessions and panel discussions.
Online communication and collaboration is a key aspect of life and business in the Kingdom. According to the NCSC, cyberspace has become a key enabler for Saudi Arabia’s continued prosperity, and vital to achieving the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Being one of the most technologically advanced countries in the region, the kingdom has always been a main cyber-target. A recent study entitled Kaspersky IT Security Survey 2017 showed that almost 60 percent of organizations in Saudi Arabia have experienced virus and malware incidents in the last 12 months. While 41 percent of the respondents agree that they lack sufficient insight and intelligence on the threats specifically faced by their organization. Targeted attacks have always been a concern for organizations in the Kingdom, where 21 percent organizations experienced such in the past 12 months. While 41 percent of the respondents believe that their organizations need better tools to detect and respond to advanced persistent threats (APTs) and targeted attacks.
Abbad Al-Abbad, strategic development and communications executive director at NCSC, said: “Our goals as an organization are focused toward improving the cybersecurity readiness and capabilities of the government sector, including critical national infrastructure, as well as developing and formalizing the internal capabilities around cybersecurity within the Kingdom. This summit, together with Kaspersky Lab, essentially enables the leadership and IT experts at Saudi public sector organizations to learn from strong innovators in the space, within the context of the Saudi Vision 2030.”
Maxim Frolov, managing director for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Kaspersky Lab, said: “Seeing a public sector entity taking the lead in preparing and equipping other public sector entities with the cybersecurity consciousness they need is extremely positive, and something we at Kaspersky Lab believe many countries can learn from Saudi Arabia.”