Saudi CERT
Computer Emergency Response Team, also known as Saudi CERT, is the entity concerned with spreading awareness of cybersecurity in Saudi Arabia through educational programs and awareness campaigns as well as issuing warnings related to details of security vulnerabilities and their risks, whether they are vulnerabilities in operating systems, electronic applications, or websites.
Founding Saudi CERT
The center was established in the reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in 2019.It falls under the command of the National Cybersecurity Authority, founded in 2018, by Royal Decree. The National Information Technology Guidance Center was then transferred from the Communications and Information Technology Commission to the National Cybersecurity Authority and was then given its current name.
Mission of Saudi CERT
Saudi CERT has many responsibilities, most importantly, raising awareness of cybersecurity and enhancing Saudi Arabia's efforts in this regard, drafting plans and policies that detect and analyze warnings through the use of constantly updated modern technologies, encouraging government authorities and institutions of the private sector to raise the level of cybersecurity awareness, broadcasting warning messages through the Center's website and accounts via social media in order to avoid the dangers of digital breaches and reduce their effects if they occur, in addition to launching a number of awareness campaigns and programs in cooperation with the concerned authorities.
Services Provided by Saudi CERT
The center offers a number of services on individual and institutional levels, most notably: issuing reports and warnings regarding security vulnerabilities and their risks, holding workshops and training courses in the same field as that of the center, cooperating with guidance centers working in similar fields, producing awareness materials describing the most important risks and the best practices to prevent them and mitigate their potential effects.
The center has launched a number of awareness campaigns targeting several groups, including persons with disabilities, students of all grade levels, the elderly, charities, and non-profit sector entities, in addition to public awareness campaigns on a number of concepts, such as malware, hardware security, firewall, network security, cybersecurity, application security, phishing, and social engineering.
In order to ensure that awareness campaigns reach the target beneficiaries, the center has established multiple partnerships with entities in the government and private sectors. Such entities include Aramco, Saudi Telecom Company, Ministry of Education, Communications, Space, and Technology Commission, and the Authority for the Care of Persons with Disabilities.