Educational and cultural awareness programs through schools and social networking sites have contributed greatly to reducing cases of hacking electronic gadgets and websites of Saudis from 70 percent in 2014 to 25 percent in 2016, said an expert. Speaking to Al-Watan Arabic daily, Khaled Abu Ibrahim, executive director of Saudi IT Consulting Co., said hacking of Saudis' electronic devices reached its peak in 2014, hitting 70 percent and it reduced to 45 percent in 2015 and 25 percent this year as a result of awareness programs. He said some people break into social media accounts of individuals without any specific purpose. "It has been noticed that some hackers break into Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts as well Internet websites regularly," he told Al-Watan Arabic daily. Sociologist Latifa Bin Humaid spoke about the negative impact of hacking electronic sites on the society as it leads to many crimes. "People try to get secret information and make use of them for their vested interests. They will also tamper with databank of companies and organizations." Stealing money from bank accounts and transferring money from one account to another are other crimes committed by hackers. Hackers also engage in impersonation, blackmailing, threatening and break into the websites of major government departments and corporations. IT engineer Abu Ibrahim urged individuals and companies to be cautious about hackers who get into their websites and social media accounts. Hackers use various methods to break into their sites despite advanced security firewalls and systems, he added. "They often get into our devices and websites by promoting news of celebrities and major commercial firms," he pointed out. "Saudis have achieved tremendous progress in using computer systems but still they fall into the traps of hackers," he added. He described the Internet as a double-edged sword. "Some unknown people send messages through the Internet for various purposes. There are some companies that want to collect various information about Arab youth and we don't know their hidden objectives." Abu Ibrahim urged Saudi youth to use the Internet carefully to enhance their knowledge and interact with other people and they should be cautious about people and agencies that try to influence and change their religious faith and values. "Hackers use WhatsApp to get into personal information of users as they forward news of celebrities and companies and promise fake prizes in order to entrap users of the popular social media. People should check links before opening them to avoid hacking," he explained.
