The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has realized a new global achievement by ranking second among 193 countries and first in the Arab world, Middle East and Asia on the Global Cybersecurity Index, issued by the International Telecommunication Union, a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for all matters related to information and communication technologies. According to latest ITU classification, Saudi Arabia cybersecurity index developed by 11 ranks compared to 2018 and by more than 40 ranks since launching the Saudi Vision 2030 when it ranked 46th globally on the 2017 edition of the index. The National Cybersecurity Authority pointed out that this achievement was realized due to the big support Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy prime minister and minister of defense, are lending to the cybersecurity system in Saudi Arabia, enabling it to reach a safe and credible cyberspace that can act as a driver of growth and prosperity. The Authority said that the Global Cybersecurity Index is implemented periodically based on five pillars: Legal Measures, Technical Measures, Organizational Measures, Capacity Building, and Cooperation, through analyzing the performance of countries on 80 sub-indexes with the aim of developing the level of cybersecurity, enhancing the exchange of expertise and sharing experiments among countries. The Kingdom has achieved high points in all these pillars, where the top factors to realizing this leap were having a reference body specialized in cybersecurity, issuing policies, governance mechanisms, frameworks, standards, constraints and guidelines related to cybersecurity, following up on commitment levels, building up capabilities and efficiencies, developing relevant performance indicators, continuous monitoring of the status of the cybersecurity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and launching the National Strategy for Cybersecurity. Other factors included enhancing cooperation with countries and international organizations and launching global qualitative initiatives, such as the Global Cybersecurity Forum, the Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman Initiative for Safe Children in the Cyber World, the Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman Initiative for Women Empowerment in the Cyber World, and public-private sector partnership. The Authority, in its statement, stressed that it would continue exerting efforts to reach a safe and credible Saudi cyberspace that contributes to realizing growth and prosperity through enhancing cooperation and joint action with national institutions so that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continue to be a pioneering country in the cybersecurity field and achieve the aspirations of the wise leadership. — SPA
