Pan-Arab cybersecurity unit to be set up in fight against digital crime

The Tunis conference discusses steps to prevent money laundering. (SPA)

• The memorandum of intent is aimed at enhancing cybersecurity, protecting against threats, and identifying potential opportunities for collaboration in projects and initiatives

TUNIS: A pan-Arab cybersecurity unit is to be set up for greater regional cooperation in the fight against digital crime and money laundering, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Mohammed bin Ali Kouman, secretary-general of the Arab Interior Ministers Council, said steps were being taken to prevent such crime in the region and to better hold perpetrators to account.
These measures included an Arab task force, a cybersecurity unit, and an Arab criminal evidence law that would be adopted by national governments and be a framework for them to amend their legislation on cybercrime evidence.
Kouman was speaking at a conference about investigation and criminal evidence departments. It started on Friday in Tunis, with the participation of Arab interior ministries and Naif Arab University for Security Sciences
He said there would be action against websites and accounts involved in cybercrimes, and that there would be a guide on how to apply for information from tech giants and social media sites.
There was also going to be an increase in the use of digital forensic evidence, he said, and it would be the focus of a workshop next year that would be held in collaboration with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
The Saudi delegation at the Tunis conference was headed by Assistant Director-General of Security for Security Affairs Brig. Gen. Khalid Al-Tayyash.
Earlier this month the Kingdom’s National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC) signed an agreement with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to explore cybersecurity cooperation. The memorandum of intent is aimed at enhancing cybersecurity, protecting against threats, and identifying potential opportunities for collaboration in projects and initiatives.
A study from the Washington-based Global Foundation for Cyber Studies and Research said that Saudi Arabia was the target of the highest number of cyberattacks in the Middle East, with over 160,000 hitting servers every day.